


Pumpkin King

by Katical



Category: Banana Fish (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Military, Ash is a soldier, Battlefield, Blood, Cape Cod, Chinatown, Drinking, Everyone Is Alive, Everyone gets some spotlight, Explosions, Fighting, Fluff, Grenades, Guns, Humour, Hurt/Comfort, Izumo - Freeform, Knives, Light Angst, M/M, Max and Griffin too, Recovery, Shooting, Shorter is also a soldier, Trauma, Violence, Weapons, York/New York, kind of?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-20
Updated: 2020-10-24
Packaged: 2020-10-24 22:09:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 20
Words: 54,519
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20713328
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Katical/pseuds/Katical
Summary: For decades, the Pumpkin King has been oppressing the human population. Their invasions continued to the point where more than half the world was their territory. Since the loss of his hometown to the enemy, Ash developed a strong hatred for the Pumpkin King and his kingdom. With the aim to defeat the Pumpkin King, the young man joined the Resistance in order to bring peace back to the land.





	1. Cape Cod 1/2

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, and welcome to my second Banana Fish fic! If you have come from my last one then hello again, but if you’re new, then it’s a pleasure to have you join me. I’ve spent quite a while planning this fic out and I see a lot of potential fun in this so hopefully, you’ll enjoy the ride as well! I can ramble on about how I want to ‘experiment’ with a few things in this fic but I’ll save that for when we get there. Anyway, this chapter and the next, kind of ‘first arc’ of the story, is more like a prologue and it sets the scene for the whole fic – so, I hope you enjoy!!

The sun hadn’t broken through the horizon for very long when the Resistance broke through the enemy’s defence and gained access into the town of Cape Cod. From the west side of town, the soldiers relentlessly pushed enemy forces back, reclaiming the land that was originally theirs.

Hidden in the shadows behind an abandoned warehouse, a pair of young men waited on the back of a motorbike, listening closely to the battle taking place in town. Through the sounds of shouting, screaming, bullets and static, Ash and Shorter waited for their signal.

“We’ve almost secured the town hall!”

“How many are left?”

“About 10.”

“Make that four less.” A familiar voice announced.

“Good job, Griff!”

Even though the praise was directed at his brother, Ash couldn’t help but feel a spark of pride in his chest. The corner of his lips curled up and it didn’t go unnoticed by his best friend. Elbowing him lightly, Shorter smiled back at Ash.

But those smiles were quickly wiped away and replaced by alertness as another familiar voice spoke up.

“Commander Jenkins, 5 pumpkins located 100 metres north of Thompson’s bakery.”

“Max, take your squad and give chase.” Jenkins ordered.

“Roger that!”

“Squad D, move up.”

“Yes, sir!”

“Squads A and B have secured the perimeter around the town hall!” Griffin informed.

“Good. Squads A, B and D on standby until the pumpkins Max located are eliminated.”

“Yes, sir!”

Jenkins’ voice lowered as he spoke the next words. “Right flank, you’re up next. Are you ready?”

“Yes, sir!” Ash and Shorter replied in unison.

“Good.”

Anticipating their orders to come soon, both Ash and Shorter put on their helmets. Shorter was just refastening his gloves when Max’s voice came through their earpiece.

“Northern area of town secured. Pumpkins eliminated!”

That was the confirmation the whole platoon was waiting for. Not even a second later, the commander gave the order to charge.

“All squads advance to the eastern watchtower!”

“Yes, sir!”

Raising his feet off the ground, Ash wrapped his arms around Shorter’s waist while his best friend smoothly flicked up the sidestand with one foot and kicked off the ground with the other.

“Secure the perimeter! Drive out the pumpkins!” Jenkins ordered. “Right flank, we leave the watchtower itself to you.”

“Roger that!” Ash and Shorter replied, unable to hold back the smiles of excitement.

“Aslan,” a gentle voice amidst the battle came through Ash’s earpiece. “Be careful.”

“I will, Nii-san,” Ash promised.

“Let’s make this quick,” Ash whispered the moment he hopped off the bike and removed his helmet.

Pulling out his gun from behind him, he made his way through the bushes and towards the foot of the watchtower. Pressing himself up against the wall of the adjacent building, he looked around the corner cautiously. His eyebrow twitched at the sight.

His best friend followed close behind. Crouching down by the other’s knee, Shorter also peeked around.

“Only two guards?” Shorter raised an eyebrow.

“Makes things easier for us.” Ash said, already stowing his gun away and taking out his knife instead.

Just a few dozen metres around the corner were two men dressed in black. Normally, Ash wouldn’t feel so agitated just by seeing two normal people but those who belonged to the Pumpkin Kingdom and served the Pumpkin King were far from normal. What distinguished them were their heads.

Those of the Pumpkin Kingdom had pumpkins for heads!

“Are you going to rush them?” Shorter asked.

Straightening up, Ash tested his wrist a few times. “We don’t need to waste bullets on two guys.”

And before Shorter could even argue, Ash had already dashed around the corner. The distance between him and the two pumpkin heads was closed in a matter of seconds. His approach was swift and unexpected, catching them by surprise. With a strong knee to the stomach of the first pumpkin and then a stab through the neck of the second, they were taken out before they could even utter a sound.

Putting his knife away in exchange for his gun, Ash stepped to the side of the door. Cautiously, he pressed down on the door handle and pushed it gentle. It opened slowly. There was no sound inside and neither could Ash sense anyone’s presence.

With a quick breath to compose himself, he spun around with his gun raised. Jade eyes scanned over the dark room a few times before raising a hand to gesture Shorter his way. Stepping inside carefully, Ash pressed one finger into his earpiece while keeping his gun pointed in front of him.

“Ash and Shorter have entered the southern entrance. We’ll proceed upstairs.”

“Copy that.”

Carefully making their way across the guard room, they approached the door on the other side, assuming that it led to the centre stairwell. Shorter moved behind the door, grip on the handle before Ash gestured for him to open it.

The movement, however, caused a loud creak in the hinges.

Immediately, voices came from the other side of the door.

“Who’s there?!”

“Shit!” Shorter cursed under his breath before pulling the door fully open.

Ash wasted no time in rolling out and shooting the two pumpkins stationed at the bottom of the stairs.

“Let’s move!”

Having their presence exposed, they quickly abandoned their original plan of being stealthy. Instead, they found themselves, dashing up the spiral staircase and shooting their way through the oncoming pumpkins. Their opponents may have had high-ground advantage but even among the squads present in the operation to take back Cape Cod, Ash and Shorter were known for their skills under the cover of darkness. Shooting out the lights placed at regular intervals of the staircase, the young men progressed upwards.

“Right flank,” Jenkins’ voice called from their earpiece. “Several pumpkins have retreated into the watchtower. Be careful.”

“I’ll cover you,” Shorter said from behind Ash. “You keep going.”

“Alright.”

They were already near the top anyway. Ash could even see the door leading into the observation room. Shooting down the enemies that were in the way, Ash quickly reloaded his gun before reaching for the door handle. But it was locked. Kicking it harshly, the door still didn’t budge. After huffing a frustrated breath, Ash took a step back. Raising his gun, he took aim and blasted the lock open in two shots.

Kicking the door open this time, he sensed a wave of bloodlust before he even took a step inside. Ducking to the side of the doorframe, a burst of gunshots came from within the room. Curling defensively into himself at the top of the stairs, Ash covered his ears in hopes of protecting his eardrums from the barrage of bullets.

“Ash!”

Even though the gunfire, Ash heard Shorter’s voice loud and clear.

Jade eyes opened just to see his best friend toss something in his direction. Catching it swiftly, he pulled the pin out with his teeth before tossing it into the observation room. There was a momentary pause in confusion before the grenade exploded into a blinding light. Immediately, the shooting stopped as the people inside were groaning at the painful assault on their eyes.

Dashing in with an arm shielding his eyes, Ash shot the remaining half a dozen of pumpkins inside the observation room. Spinning around to double check that there wasn’t anyone hidden behind the door or in the corner, Ash deemed the room secured. Rushing to the window, he pulled out the flare gun and shot a red light into the air.

Not long later, the commander’s voice came through the earpiece.

“The watchtower has been secured! All squads, let’s finish this!”

Having succeeded in their part of the operation, Ash hurried back to the stairwell to help Shorter defend against the pumpkins who were advancing.

“Shorter, do you have another flash?”

“Yeah, here!”

Ash was about to tell the other to throw it but never mind. Catching the second flash grenade, Ash pulled the pin and threw it half way down the stairs. The momentary explosion of light stunned the pumpkins near the grenade but what Ash was aiming for was the enemy’s position.

“I’ll take the five on the left.” Ash announced.

“Then leave the three on the right to me.” Shorter replied with a grin.

Having been best friends throughout military school and partners on more than one occasion since joining the platoon, they worked around each other perfectly. Their thoughts were always along the same wavelength and even with minimal communication, they were able to get the work done.

Just as Ash shot the last target, he crouched down to reload his gun, when a huge cheer could be heard from outside.

“Pumpkin forces are retreating!”

“Cape Cod is ours!”

At the news, Ash looked up at Shorter. His best friend wore both a surprised and excited expression and Ash figured that he probably didn’t look any different. Extending a hand, Shorter helped Ash up before pulling him into a hug. His best friend knew just how important this operation meant to Ash. And they actually did it. They managed to retake Cape Cod from the Pumpkin Kingdom. They reclaimed Ash’s hometown, the place where he and his brother shared much of his childhood memories.

“Where’s Ash and Shorter?” Someone called into the earpiece. “You boys come down and celebrate too!”

Pulling away, the two of them couldn’t even hide the smiles on their faces. They wasted no time in rushing down the watchtower but once at the bottom, Shorter remembered something.

“I have to get my bike from around back.”

“Oh, right.” Ash nodded. “I’ll go-”

But he was interrupted when his brother’s voice came though.

“Aslan, where are you?”

“Nii-san,” Ash greeted, waving to Shorter who was already making his way back the way they originally came in. “I’m just coming out of the watchtower.”

“Do you still remember your way home?” The way Griffin asked the question was gentle and laced with so much emotion that Ash felt it.

Feeling tears prick his eyes, Ash tried to steady his voice but he knew that his brother would pick it up nonetheless. “Of course, I do.”

“I’ll meet you there.”

Not even slowing down when he pushed past the celebrating soldiers, Ash ran as fast as he could to the place he once called home. Even though he had left Cape Cod more than ten years ago, he still remembered clearly how to get back to the house.

Turning the familiar corner, jade eyes landed upon a street that was filled with memories. Although the area was littered with debris and was rather untidy, some iconic places remained. The fruit store and toy store were still there, the pub his father frequented was also there, albeit all of them were a bit rundown after being abandoned.

But what pulled on Ash’s heart the most was the person standing halfway down the street, gazing up at a half collapsed building.

“Nii-san!” Ash called, running down to his brother who instinctively caught him in his arms even though he was surprised by the action.

“Aslan…” Griffin muttered into blond hair, holding his brother tightly as they stood in front of their home. “You did it.”

Even though Griffin was careful when opening the front door, the top hinge still collapsed and it ended up half hanging off the frame. The squeak of the hinge made Ash wince as his brother laughed awkwardly.

“Oops.”

Ash couldn’t help but huff a laugh too. “This place has seen better days.”

“I guess we’re lucky that half of it is still standing, at least.” His brother replied as he ran a finger over the dining table, leaving a trail along the thick layer of dust gathered on the surface.

“Seeing everything at this height doesn’t feel right,” Ash confessed. He was a mere six year old when he was last in this house so he remembered everything to be much bigger and spacious.

“Oh yeah, you were only about this tall back then.” Griffin laughed lightly, gesturing a height to his knee.

“Hey, I wasn’t that short!”

But Ash’s protest only made Griffin laugh harder.

“Whether you’re tall or short,” he smiled, walking up to Ash before slinging an arm around his shoulders. “You’re still always my little brother.”

“Stop it, Nii-san,” Ash pouted, trying to wiggle away.

The brothers shared a warm moment of laughter, lightly wrestling with each other before continuing to look around their deserted home.

Aside from the dining room downstairs, the rest of the lower floor was covered in debris and barely recognisable. Thankfully, the stairs were still intact and they could still access the bedrooms. It turned out, however, that it was only the master bedroom that remained. Their shared bedroom had unfortunately collapsed into the lower floor.

“That’s a shame,” Griffin sighed, looking through the doorframe that should have led into their room.

In the mess below that used to be the bathroom and kitchen were a pile of debris with half buried old clothes and toys. So many memories were shared in that bedroom and it hurt Ash a little to see that it no longer existed. But for him who had only spent six years of his life there, he couldn’t compare to the feeling Griffin had.

“Nii-san,” Ash spoke up, worried that his brother was getting depressed from seeing their home in such a state.

Griffin turned to Ash, nothing unusual about his behaviour. With a soft smile, he replied. “Is there anything you wanted from your room? It might take a while to dig it out though.”

Shaking his head lightly, Ash declined. “No, there isn’t.” Because to Ash, the most important thing about his home wasn’t a special toy or accessory from his childhood, but the person who raised him and was always by his side during those days. That was why, even though half his home was destroyed, he didn’t feel unbearably sad. As long as Griffin was alive and well, and if Ash was allowed to stay by his side, then that was the enough.

“I see,” Griffin nodded, walking away from their room. “Let’s see if there’s anything in dad’s room we can take back for him then.”

Looking around the bedroom their father used, the brothers picked up an old family photo and a photo album. Griffin looked through the wardrobe too, checking whether there were any clothes they could take away as well.

“Aslan?”

“Hmm?” Ash hummed as he was checking the bedside table. There wasn’t anything worth taking from the draws so he stood up straight and faced his brother, only to see something dark come close towards his eyes. Turning his head away, Griffin slid something on either side of his temples that reached the top of his ears.

His brother made a contented noise before pulling away. “They look good on you.”

“Huh?” Ash looked up, noticing how his vision was dyed a dark tone. Reaching a hand over the object sitting over his eyes, Ash asked. “Sunglasses?”

“Yeah,” Griffin nodded, looking proud of himself. “I found them in dad’s wardrobe. Do they fit?”

“I guess,” Ash replied, adjusting the spectacles. “But why give them to me?”

“Why?” His brother gripped his chin and hummed in thought for a moment. “So you and Shorter match.” Griffin smiled brightly.

A huff of a laugh left Ash. Seeing how his brother seemed quite happy for Ash to wear them, he decided to keep them on for a little while longer.

“Is there anything else worth taking with us?” Ash asked.

“I think the photos are the only thing.” Griffin replied, looking around one last time. “Do you want to go back to the camp?”

“Sure.”

Making their way back to the east side of town where the rest of the squads were, Ash and Griffin were greeted by Max before they even got close.

“Griff! Ash!” The other squad leader jogged up to them with a mug of beer in each hand. “What’s up with the shades, Ash? Trying to be cool like Shorter?” He smirked.

Griffin laughed quietly behind a hand.

“I’m cooler than Shorter even without these on!” Ash huffed, pulling the glasses off and setting them atop his head.

“Right right,” Max waved him off before handing a mug of beer to Griffin. “Where did you two go anyway?”

But before they answered Max, Griffin turned to Ash with the mug. “Do you want some?”

“Sure, if you don’t mind.” Ash took the beer from his brother.

“Hey, minors aren’t allowed to drink.” Max argued jokingly. It wasn’t like it was the first time Griffin had shared his drink with Ash.

“It’s fine,” Griffin dismissed, watching Ash take a sip of his beer. The initial bitter taste followed by the chilling feeling at the back of his throat made him wrinkle his nose. A small laugh left his brother as he asked through a smile, “Still not to your liking?”

“It never is,” Ash replied. “I don’t know why I try every time.”

“It’s because you can’t say no to your brother,” Max elbowed Ash lightly just as he handed the drink back to his brother.

“Shut up,” Ash complained.

“It’s just beer and wine though, right?” Griffin asked through a sip of his drink. “You’re okay with alcohol if it’s mixed in with something.”

“Yeah, as long as I can’t taste it,” Ash nodded.

But another smirk appeared on Max. “Just goes to show that you’re still a brat.”

“You-!”

“Anyway,” Griffin cut in before Max riled up his brother further. “We went to check on our house.” He said, finally replying to Max’s earlier question.

“Oh,” Max paused for a moment. “How… was it?”

“There wasn’t much left of our room,” Griffin replied with a shrug before holding up the photo album in his hand. “But we got a few things to give back to dad.” 

“I see,” Max nodded, looking unsure of what to say. But thankfully, he didn’t have to because Shorter joined them before long.

“Hey, why did you disappear on me, Ash?” Shorter complained. “Do you know how hard it was to get the old guys off my back?”

“Aren’t we allowed to shine some spotlights on our heroes?” Max laughed, ushering Ash and Shorter back towards the crowd.

“Spotlight is fine and all but when mugs of beer are pushed into my face, I’d rather not! It’s still only early afternoon!” Shorter protested.

“C’mon, let us spoil you young boys a little.” The squad leader didn’t relent. “Plus, a few drinks won’t hurt.”

“That’s not what you said a second ago!” Ash argued.

Max, however, purposefully ignored him.

“Nii-san, help me out here!” Ash called over his shoulder.

But Griffin only followed behind them with a smile and a wave. “Have fun over there.”

“Nii-san!”

The celebrations went late into the night. The campfire had long since burnt into a quiet flame. A few had retired into the tents while others occupied some of the still standing houses in the area. Through half wakefulness, Ash knew that he was still outside. But with the events of the day combined with the amount of drinks that were pushed upon him, he was very much too exhausted to move. Plus, it wasn’t like he was uncomfortable. With the fire’s flickering warmth grazing over his cheeks and the thick blanket over his shoulders, Ash found himself snuggling closer to the person beside him.

“Squad leader,” a quiet voice spoke up from somewhere in front of Ash. “We’ve prepared a room for you on the upper floor of the bookstore.”

“Two beds, I assume?” A familiar voice beside Ash asked.

“Yes, sir.”

“Thank you,” he replied. “I’ll go in a little while. You better get some rest yourself.”

“Thank you for your concern.”

After that conversation, it didn’t take long for Ash to doze off again.


	2. Cape Cod 2/2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The next day after reclaiming his hometown, Cape Cod.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! We’re going to wrap up the prologue here at Cape Cod with a bit more world building and character interactions. If you find this chapter a little bit choppy then I apologise, it’s just me getting impatient and wanting to get to the next bit of the story, oops :P Anyway, I hope you enjoy!!

Quietly stirring awake from his slumber, Ash turned over onto his left side only to be assaulted by a ray of light. Groaning at the discomfort, he curled into himself reflexively. From the other side of the room, he heard a light chuckle followed by the sound of the curtains being drawn. The light that attacked Ash’s eyes disappeared and only then did he dare to blink them open.

His vision was blurry from sleep but he could make out a figure walking towards him before kneeling down beside his bed.

“Nii-san,” Ash greeted through a gritty morning voice.

“It’s still early,” Griffin said. Reaching a hand out, he gently brushed aside some stray strands of hair from Ash’s forehead. “You can sleep for a little while longer.”

“What about you?” Ash asked instead, letting his brother comb through his hair with his fingers.

“I’ve had enough sleep so I’ll be fine,” Griffin replied with a smile.

Humming a short note in understanding, Ash let his eyes fall shut again. Griffin pulled up the blanket and tucked him in before giving him a gentle pat on the head.

“I’ll wake you up in a few hours, okay?”

The next time Ash woke up, the sun was already quite high in the sky. Feeling quite awake, he got himself out of bed and took a shower. Once cleaned up and dressed, Ash walked up to the window while towelling his hair dry. Just outside the town hall, he could see that there was a gathering of soldiers and among them, he could make out his brother.

Tossing the towel aside and toeing on his shoes, Ash secured his weapons on his body before grabbing a jacket and leaving the room.

“Hey, look who’s finally awake.” Max called out to him even before he arrived.

“Oh, Aslan,” Griffin seemed to be surprised. “You woke up by yourself?”

That comment, however, made the soldiers around them chuckle behind a hand.

“He’s such a princess,” one laughed.

“How old is he again?”

“Shut up, you guys!” Ash grunted as he walked up to everyone, his brother smiling at him apologetically. It wasn’t like he wasn’t used to the other squad members joking around. He had to deal with Max’s constant teasing anyway so it wasn’t anything new. So, even though he huffed a sigh, they knew that it was one of fondness.

“Now that everyone’s here,” Commander Jenkins spoke up after a clear of his throat. “I’ll repeat the information we have so far.” Everyone’s attention became focused and serious. “The perimeter around Cape Cod has been secured. According to Skipper, the enemy seems to be retreating north-east. We have been ordered to defend this point until reinforcements arrive this evening. After that, we are to continue east and reclaim as much land as possible until further notice.”

“Yes, sir!”

“Well then,” the commander was about to continue when his line of sight seemed to have landed on Griffin and he paused. From Ash’s position, he couldn’t see the expression on his brother’s face so it made him curious why they were having a stare off.

But before he wondered any further, silent words were exchanged and Jenkins spoke up again.

“Once we have soldiers stationed around the border, previous inhabitants will be allowed back into town. The Fortress will also most likely send a team to help with the reconstruction as well.”

After hearing that information, Griffin’s shoulders seemed to have relaxed. It didn’t go unnoticed as Max reached out behind him and patted the other twice on the shoulder. In fact, even Ash felt relieved hearing that Cape Cod will be welcoming its people back. Perhaps when everything was finally settled with the Pumpkin Kingdom, he and Griffin could return to this town too and live a quiet life like how they used to.

“Therefore,” Jenkins finalised. “We will have the rest of today to prepare. That is all. Squad leaders remain here. Everyone else, dismissed.”

“Yes, sir!”

While he wasn’t needed at the meeting any more, Ash busied himself by reading the books available in the bookstore. Being so absorbed in the novel, he didn’t realise that more than half the day had passed by. He couldn’t remember the last time he had the luxury to enjoy a good read so he helped himself to more than a few books. Had his brother not come looking for him, Ash probably would have forgotten to eat dinner.

“Aslan?”

It wasn’t like Ash was purposefully ignoring his brother. A part of his mind recognised the other’s presence but being too absorbed in the book, he didn’t respond.

“Aslan~”

Griffin sang merrily as he came closer.

“Hey now, don’t ignore me.”

Following that, Ash felt a spark of pain in his cheek as he was harshly pulled around to face his brother.

“N-Nii-shan?!” Ash startled, his pulled cheek making him mispronounce.

“What? Is that book more interesting than your dear big brother?” Griffin asked with a childish pout.

Batting away the hand that was pinching his cheek, Ash rubbed the soreness with a small pout of his own. “Sorry… I didn’t mean to. It’s just been a long time since I read something.”

But of course, his brother wasn’t genuinely upset. Ruffling blond hair, Griffin smiled. “Who would have guessed that you would grow up being a bookworm? If Shorter hadn’t told me that you spent a lot of your military school days in the library, I don’t think I would have believed it.” He laughed lightly, causing Ash to blush a little. “But you’ve been reading for more than half the day now. You should give your eyes some rest. Plus, dinner will be ready soon.”

“Fine,” Ash conceded, folding the corner of the page to mark to where he had read.

Following his brother out of the temporary residence, Ash noticed that the members of the platoon had already gathered around the campfire. Casually chatting with the soldiers and meeting up with Shorter, they joked about as always until they were called up to get dinner. The commander took some time to detail the plan for the next day and as if perfectly timed, the moment he finished, reinforcements arrived at Cape Cod.

Being forced into some socialising with a handful of soldiers who wanted to greet him as either squad leader Griffin Callenreese’s little brother or one half of the duo who reclaimed Cape Cod, or both, Ash struggled to escape the attention. It wasn’t until Max called the crowd over for a few drinks did Ash manage to slip away. He made a mental note to thank the old man when he next got a chance.

Picking up the book he left on the desk in the bookstore, Ash retired up to the room upstairs. After changing into something more comfortable, he didn’t hesitate to dive onto his pillow and continue reading with the bedside table lamp on. He could hear the lively chatter of soldiers in the distance but he didn’t pay them any mind.

It wasn’t clear how long he had been reading when Griffin returned to their room.

Once again, Ash acknowledged his brother’s presence but didn’t react to it. More often than not when it came to Griffin, Ash’s alertness and guard didn’t instinctively switch on unlike with other people. So, out of everyone that he knew and possibly in the world, Griffin was the only person who could sneak up to Ash and surprise him.

“Here,” came his brother’s voice from beside the bed, followed by something chilled nudged against his ear. Whether it was from the sudden contact or temperature of the object, Ash wasn’t sure but either way he shivered violently.

Whipping around, Ash saw that his brother had pressed a bottle of water against him.

Having seen the reaction, Griffin couldn’t help but chuckle behind a hand. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“I wasn’t scared.” Ash took the offered water with a pout, uncapping it before taking a swig.

His brother didn’t reply. He only smiled fondly at Ash before taking a seat by the edge of the bed. “We’ll be leaving here tomorrow.” Griffin started, looking out of the window to where the remaining soldiers were still chatting.

“We’ll come back though,” Ash replied. “After everything is over.”

“Would you like to?” Griffin asked, turning back to Ash.

“Why not?”

“I would have thought you’d want to go back to the Fortress.”

“Well,” Ash paused, sitting up so that he could face his brother properly. “I’ll go there if you go there. And if you come back here, then I’ll come back here too.” To Ash, anywhere was fine. As long as he and Griffin weren’t separated like before, then he would be happy.

Smiling softly, Griffin reached a hand out and patted Ash’s blond hair.

They shared a moment of comfortable silence before his brother withdrew his hand and got up off Ash’s bed.

“Let’s get some sleep then. We’ll be busy again starting tomorrow.”

For the entirety of the following week, Ash and the rest of the platoon pushed forward and successfully reclaimed small villages and towns east of Cape Cod when they got word from their scout that the retreating pumpkin forces were actually regrouping. Pausing their operation, Commander Jenkins gathered the squad leaders in the evening to discuss their next plan of action.

Standing beside his brother, Ash silently watched as Jenkins spread open the world map.

“According to Skipper,” he started. “The pumpkins that we drove out of Cape Cod have regrouped in the low midlands.” The commander said as he drew a finger from the south-western corner of the land, which was Cape Cod, to the centre of the map. “We don’t have many men in that area due to the mountainous terrain but perhaps it’s for that reason that they’ve decided to gather there.”

“But what’s the point?” Squad leader Charlie spoke up. “There’s no way they’d try heading north or west from their position because there are mountains in the way.”

“Could they be after the Lees?” Griffin hummed in thought.

“I doubt that.” Charlie replied. “The Lees have declared their neutrality and haven’t budged from that decision in years. And the only way of reaching their city is from the west which we have control over.”

“I agree.” Jenkins added. “Crossing the mountains in the high midlands is too unreasonable so I don’t believe their target is Chinatown.”

“So if not north to Chinatown, and not south because we’re here then it has to be west, right?” Max deduced. “Since everywhere to the east is pumpkin-land.”

“What about here?” Ash interrupted, pointing at a town to the west of the low midlands. Judging by the distance and terrain, it would take the pumpkin army at least a few days to reach that point.

There was a beat of silence, Ash only just realising that he may have spoken out of turn. Daring to look up, he saw that the commander was watching him with piercing eyes. Unconsciously, he swallowed.

“Ash, explain.” Jenkins ordered.

“Y-Yes, sir. This town of… uhh, what does that say? Gizumo?” Ash hesitated, as he was looking at the map upside-down.

“Izumo,” Griffin corrected.

“Right,” Ash nodded. “This town is at the centre of everything. It may be small but look, to its southwest is Cape Cod. To its northwest is the Fortress. And to its northeast is Chinatown.” He explained, drawing lines to the places he was mentioning. “If they have control over such a central point then wouldn’t they be able to cut off a lot of our routes?”

Jenkins looked sternly at the map, contemplating Ash’s explanation before looking up at the young man. Their gazes locked, his eyes were intimidating but Ash didn’t falter.

“What do the squad leaders think?” The commander turned to the others.

“We’ve only just taken back Cape Cod so I never really recognised the town of Izumo to be such a central point,” one replied. “But now that Ash has mentioned it…”

“I believe it’s a point worth protecting,” Max answered.

“Griffin?” The commander asked.

“Obviously, I trust my brother’s judgement,” Griffin confessed. “And well, he’s rarely wrong when it comes to these things.”

Hearing such words of confidence from his brother, Ash couldn’t help but look away in slight embarrassment. But seriousness returned to him the moment Jenkins cleared his throat for attention.

“We shall proceed to head north from tomorrow. Any objections?”

The soldiers present all shook their heads and remained silent.

“Good. Then Max,” Jenkins turned to said squad leader. “I’d like you to take those in need of rest back to Cape Cod and inform them of our plans. Can you do that?”

Max, however, hesitated. It didn’t go unnoticed.

“Did you hear me?”

“Commander, I…”

“Commander,” Griffin interrupted. “Max’s family is currently visiting a friend in Izumo.”

“Griff…” Max looked over to Griffin.

Jenkins seemed surprised to learn of this. “Is that true, Max?”

“Yes, sir.” He replied with a small nod.

A sigh left the commander before he walked past the squad leaders, patting Max’s shoulder once on the way out. “If that’s the case, you should have spoken up. I’ll have someone else return to Cape Cod.”

“Thank you,” Max breathed.

Jenkins dismissed everyone not long after, ordering squad leaders to relay the information to their squad members while also determining who should return to Cape Cod.

Following his brother out, Ash was about to say something when Max called out to Griffin.

“Griff, wait!”

Turning around, the brothers watched as Max jogged up to them.

“Th-Thanks for earlier,” he said. “For telling the commander.”

With a light pat on Max’s upper arm, Griffin smiled. “I figured you’d have a hard time saying no to him so I did it for you.”

A huff of a laugh left Max. “Y’know, not everyone has your type of guts.”

“C’mon, the commander’s a chill guy.”

“Only you would call him chill, Nii-san,” Ash couldn’t help but comment.

“Eh? What do you mean by that?” Griffin asked, completely oblivious to the fact that Commander Jenkins has a particular soft spot for him.

As a soldier, Griffin was quite average. His hand-to-hand combat and marksmanship were at a satisfactory level but it wasn’t anything extraordinary. What made him stand out was his attitude. He was gentle and always positive. The calm aura around him made people feel relaxed and comfortable. So even without the need for impressive skills, many soldiers respected him and enjoyed being in his company, including Commander Jenkins.

In fact, it was thanks to his brother and the commander that Ash was even allowed to leave military school early. The head instructor wasn’t convinced that he was ready at the age of 16 but since Griffin mentioned it to Jenkins, and in turn the commander put in a good word for Ash to the head instructor, Ash joined the platoon under Griffin’s command.

It had been just over a year since then and Ash had been well accepted into the platoon. The soldiers were sceptical at first but after demonstrating his worth and have proven useful more than enough times on the battlefield, they fully acknowledged him. Jenkins was no different. He even allowed him to accompany Griffin to meetings. However, earlier when he spoke out of turn, had he not been Griffin’s younger brother, Ash figured he would have been punished for rudely interrupting a meeting. No matter how logical his idea was, speaking over his superiors was definitely a dangerous thing to do.

Looking up to his brother who had gathered his squad together to explain what they had just discussed with the commander, Ash smiled quietly to himself at the thought that he was happy to be Griffin’s younger brother.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yep, you read it right – TO IZUMO!! Which means, enter Eiji!! Woooo!! Alright, so from next chapter on, we’re going to dive straight into the story so sit tight and I hope you enjoy the journey. Thank you for reading – and I shall see you in two weeks when I update!!


	3. Izumo 1/3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Along with the other soldiers, Ash arrives at Izumo.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello and welcome back!! This is the start of the first main ‘arc' of the story so a handful of characters show up, including Eiji, and I went ahead and started to experiment with some characters who have never interacted before. Anyway, I hope you enjoy!!

The journey to Izumo took just over one full day. Sitting in a truck for so many hours not only meant Ash’s body felt horribly stiff but his ass was numb as hell. There wasn’t enough room to stretch his legs and neither were the seats very comfortable. More often than not, he ended up leaning against his brother just to be a little more comfortable. Obviously, Griffin didn’t mind. In fact, he seemed to welcome it.

Stepping out of the truck, Ash pulled his arms over his head and gave his muscles a much needed stretch. Feeling a satisfying pull throughout his body, he filled his lungs with fresh morning air before letting out a contented sigh before relaxing.

Just as the final few soldiers were hopping out, a man and some townsmen came up to them. He introduced himself as the mayor. Commander Jenkins stepped out from the crowd of soldiers and exchanged a few words with him before turning to his platoon and ordering them to remain outside the town for the time being. Only Max, Griffin and Ash were given special permission to enter the town.

“Y’know, shouldn’t you two be looking for Skipper?” Max asked as they walked down a street, looking for his friend’s house. “The commander won’t be happy if he finds you two slacking off, even if he favours you, Griff.”

“Don’t worry, we’ll find him,” Griffin replied with a wave of his hand.

“You sound so confident,” his best friend huffed a laugh.

Griffin only smiled in response.

“It should be around here…” Max muttered, looking between his phone that read the address and the houses around them.

Following his brother and Max, Ash was absently looking around the neighbourhood when they came across a park where a group of children were playing football. With a quick glance, there were around a dozen of them, each looking no older than 10. Among the kids, there was a person who stood head and shoulders over them, obviously much older. His features couldn’t be seen clearly but his hair was short, dark and slightly wavy. Seeming to be overseeing the children’s activity, Ash wondered who he was when the boy with the ball was tripped over by another. In response, a whistle was blown loud and clear and all the kids’ attention turned to the older boy who jogged up to the injured.

“You want to join them?” Griffin suddenly appeared beside Ash.

“Wha-?” Ash startled. “Of course not!”

“Aww, that’s a shame,” Griffin replied. “I think the referee’s about the same age as you.”

Jade eyes glanced over to the other teenager for a moment, seeing him dust off the boy who had fallen before patting the two parties on their head. It was a gentle gesture and Ash was briefly reminded of his older brother.

Turning back to said person, Ash furrowed his brows when he saw Griffin squinting towards the group of kids.

“Hey, isn’t that Skipper…?”

At the mention of their scout’s name, Ash turned back to the group of kids. Sure enough, there was a familiar young boy with an afro. Ash wasn’t sure how he missed him the first time he looked over.

But before he was able to answer his brother, a male voice came from behind them.

“Max?”

Turning around, Ash saw one man, one woman and a child walking towards them.

“Shunichi!” Max exclaimed brightly, jogging up to them. “Jessica! Michael!”

“Dad!” The young boy shouted back, running to his father who knelt down to hug him.

“Aww, have you missed me, son?” Max cooed lovingly as he held the boy.

Giggling in his arms, Michael nodded enthusiastically.

The woman, Jessica, sighed at the scene in front of her before her husband stood up and hugged her in greeting. They shared a quick kiss before Max turned to the other man and hugged him as well.

While they exchanged a few words, Jessica noticed Griffin and Ash walking up to them. Her face brightened up as she opened her arms. “Griff, it’s been so long!”

“It really has, Jessica.” Griffin replied with a gentle smile, hugging the woman warmly. “Have you been well?”

“I have.” She nodded before her attention turned to Ash. “So, this must be your little brother.”

She gave Ash a stern once over but thankfully, it didn’t last long when Max’s friend spoke up and joined them.

“Oh, who is this?”

“Ah, I’ll introduce you.” Max offered. “This is Ibe Shunichi,” he gestured to the man. “He’s the friend I told you about who lives here and who Jessica and Michael are visiting.”

“Pleasure to meet you,” Griffin reached a hand out politely. “I’m Griffin. Max’s friend.”

Ibe took it with a smile. “Pleasure’s all mine.”

“I’ve told you about Griff before, right?” Max asked, to which Ibe nodded. “And then, this here is Griff’s younger brother, Ash.”

“Hello, Ash.” Ibe smiled again, offering a hand.

Taking his hand, Ash replied with a small nod.

“Is he a shy boy?” Jessica leant forward with a smirk.

“Who are you calling shy, old lady.” Ash retorted out of habit.

Jessica’s eyebrows shot up. Max and Ibe seemed to have been startled by this turn of events. But before it got a chance to continue down that path, Griffin interrupted.

“Aslan.”

The single call of his name was enough to douse the fire in Ash instantly. Even though his tone was as soft as always, everyone could feel the hidden warning. Lowering his head towards his brother, Ash apologised in a small voice. “Sorry, Nii-san.”

“Now, shouldn’t that apology be for me?” Jessica asked, Ash already knowing why she had a grin on her face.

“L-Let’s stop here,” Max cut in, placing his hands on his wife’s shoulders to pull her away from Ash. “Don’t you and Griff have to find Skipper for the commander anyway?”

“Oh,” Ibe spoke up. “If you’re looking for Skip, he’s with Ei-chan over there.” He pointed to the park beside them.

Before any of them reacted, Ibe had already stepped through the single line of trees on the edge of the park.

“Skip! Ei-chan!” He called, waving an arm over his head to get their attention.

Ash had a feeling who this ‘Ei-chan’ was and when two heads turned their way, he figured he was right. It was the young man who was refereeing the kids’ football match.

Even from that distance, Ash could see Skipper brighten up.

“Ash!” He exclaimed, not wasting another second before jogging up to them.

“Ah, Skip?!” ‘Ei-chan’ was surprised by Skipper suddenly taking off.

With a quick blow of his whistle to get the attention of the other children, he gathered them together. It seemed he was explaining something to them but Ash didn’t have a chance to continue watching when Skipper came up to them.

“Hey, Skip.” Ash ruffled the younger teen’s hair with a smile.

“Why are you here?” Skipper asked with a laugh before batting away the other’s hand. “Griff and Max too.”

“That’s squad leader to you, Skip.” Max corrected with a smile.

“The commander asked us to find you,” Griffin informed.

In that moment, the dark haired teenager finally joined them. As he got closer, Ash got a good look at him. Large dark eyes and innocent looking, Ash wasn’t sure which of them was actually older.

“You called for me, Ibe-san?” He asked as he stepped beside Ibe.

“Yeah, just to tell you that they’ll be borrow Skipper for a little while.” Ibe informed, gesturing to Max and Griffin.

“Where are you taking him?” The young man asked.

Although it seemed like an innocent thing to ask, somehow Ash didn’t like him questioning.

“It’s alright, Ei-chan.” Skipper reassured with a smile. “They’re my superiors. I work with them.”

“Your superiors…?” The word seemed to have taken a moment to process before he stiffened. “Ah, forgive me!” He bowed apologetically. “I’m Okumura Eiji. Skipper’s, uhh…”

“Sports teacher,” Skipper provided.

Softly, Eiji smiled down at the young boy, reaching to place his hand gentle on top of his dark afro.

“Yeah. Even if it’s only temporary, he’s still one of my students.”

Something in Ash’s chest fluttered. He wasn’t sure why. He didn’t know the details between this teacher-student relationship but the way Eiji and Skipper shared smiles between them was warm.

“I see you’ve fit in well,” Max laughed before turning to Jessica and Ibe with a serious expression. “Anyway, I suggest going home and getting things packed up. The official order to evacuate will be issued soon so-”

“Don’t worry about us.” Jessica cut in, her tone firm. “You go meet your commander and get things discussed with the mayor.”

“Thanks,” Max nodded, crouching down to pat his son on the head. “Look after your mum, okay?”

Michael nodded once before asking, “Will you be coming with us?”

“After I finish my work then yes.” Max promised. Standing up, he once again looked firmly at Jessica and Ibe before turning away. “We’ll be going then.”

“Take care,” Ibe waved.

“We’ll be waiting for you,” Jessica said, pecking Max lightly on the cheek.

Ash was just about to follow after his brother when Griffin turned around. “Aslan, you can stay here.”

Surprised by the suggestion, Ash naturally objected. “What, why?”

“We already know the plan. It’s just repeating the same things to the mayor.” Griffin replied.

“But I can still-”

“You don’t need to come. Have a look around town.” Griffin said firmly. “Maybe you can make a friend.”

It wasn’t difficult to figure out what his brother meant by that. He couldn’t help but glance over at the dark haired teen who happened to be looking his way. Their eyes met briefly before Eiji looked away first.

With a sigh, Ash reluctantly conceded. “Fine.”

Feeling oddly frustrated, Ash helplessly watched as his brother, Max and Skipper walked away. It wasn’t until they had turned the corner and disappeared that Ash looked away from where they were.

“Ei-chan, are you going to come back and pack?” Ibe asked.

“I will later,” Eiji replied. “I want to send the kids home first.”

“I see. Then Jessica?”

“Yeah, Michael and I will come back.” Jessica replied. “What about you, Ash?”

“Who knows,” Ash shrugged and began to walk away.

“Eh? Ah…” Ibe stuttered, seeming unsure of what to say.

“I-If you’d like,” Ash paused as Eiji jogged to his side. “I can show you around town after taking the kids home.”

Not really needing to consider the offer, Ash turned away. “No thanks.”

“What an attitude. He’s like a completely different person when his brother’s around.” Jessica muttered behind his back.

It took a lot of effort for him not to snap back with _I heard that, old lady._

While making his way to the western gate, the place through which the residents were due to be evacuated, Ash noticed how some households were already preparing to leave. He wasn’t surprised since having a platoon of soldiers suddenly show up at their southern gate would cause some form of rumour.

He wasn’t sure how much time had passed while he wandered but on his way back, he caught a glimpse of the sports teacher from earlier, Eiji. With two kids on either side of him, they seemed to be chatting merrily about something, laughing as they walked.

A part of Ash wanted to laugh too, but it wasn’t out of happiness. He wanted to laugh at how carefree they were. It didn’t seem like they had a single worry in the world, living a peaceful life in the town of Izumo.

Jade eyes were still watching them when Eiji looked around and noticed Ash. Once again, their eyes met but this time, it was Ash who turned away first. Shoving his hands into his pockets, he walked in the opposite direction to Eiji.

However, he didn’t get very far when he heard footsteps coming up behind him. Not even needing to look around, Ash could already guess who it was. He didn’t really feel like dealing with him though.

“Ash, wait!”

A quiet sigh left him before he stopped and looked over his shoulder at Eiji. He was alone.

“Have you looked around town already?”

“Mostly,” Ash replied, only turning to his side. “Weren’t you with two kids?”

“Oh, I’ve already sent them home.” Eiji smiled softly, jabbing a thumb at the place he was at a moment ago. “Their house is just over there.”

“Is that so.” Ash replied absently.

They shared a brief moment of silence before Ash looked over at Eiji again.

“Say, aren’t you a little too calm?”

“Huh?”

A huff of a laugh left Ash. He couldn’t tell whether Eiji was innocent or clueless, or both. “What I mean is that you don’t seem worried for someone who knows that the pumpkin army is on its way here and that this town needs to be evacuated.”

“Oh, well…” Eiji began, looking away. A hand went to rub the back of his neck as he admitted. “I’m glad that it doesn’t show on my face but I am actually quite worried.”

That made Ash raise an eyebrow.

“When the mayor told us that soldiers were coming to our town, obviously it caused a lot of unease, especially among the adults. So, when the kids came to class today, they were asking a lot of questions and were quite unsettled themselves. I… didn’t like seeing that,” Eiji smiled softly as he kicked a small stone on the ground. “Of course, Skip already told me about the invasion and evacuation beforehand but as a teacher, I felt like I had a responsibility to keep the kids safe so I had to appear strong to reassure them.” A nervous laugh left Eiji but to Ash, it sounded horribly forced. “I mean, look,” Eiji raised his hands in front of Ash. They were trembling. “I’m actually really scared.”

He said that but Eiji was still smiling. Something twisted in Ash’s chest. He felt an urge to reach out and take those hands into his own and quell that fear. He had been living a life without fighting so of course, suddenly being told that his home was about to become a battlefield, anyone would be scared.

Flashes of Ash’s six year old self surfaced as his peaceful life with his brother came to an abrupt end when the pumpkin army invaded Cape Cod.

“If you want to protect people then why didn’t you join the Resistance?” Ash asked.

“I couldn’t,” came Eiji’s swift answer. Ash wasn’t expecting that. “My father fell ill a few years ago. My mum had to look after my grandmother and my sister was still young so I had to start work and support the family as soon as possible.”

“I see.”

“What about you?” Eiji turned to Ash. “Why did you join the Resistance?”

“I…” But Ash hesitated.

Normally, he would be able to evade those types of questions with ease but for a moment there, he was actually going to truthfully answer Eiji. Surprised by his near slip-up, Ash mentally noted that Eiji was dangerous. Not in the life-threatening sense, but the fact that Ash felt a little too comfortable with him, to the point where his guard lowered unconsciously.

“Hmm?” Eiji tilted curiously as Ash didn’t answer.

“It’s none of your business.” He replied curtly instead.

“O-Oh,” Eiji raised his hands between them and frantically waved in dismissal. “S-Sorry I asked. Please forget it.”

Suddenly feeling bad for his attitude, Ash sighed heavily as he ruffled his hair in frustration. “No, I’m sorry too. I didn’t mean to snap at you.”

Ash didn’t know what was going on. His emotions were getting mixed up just by being with Eiji. Figuring that he shouldn’t be with the other for any longer, Ash was ready to turn and leave when a loud voice came through some speakers in the distance.

“Attention all residents. This is your mayor speaking.”

Both Ash and Eiji shared a knowing look as the mayor informed the town of the incoming pumpkin invasion and the order to evacuate.

Not long into the announcement, someone called out to Ash from behind.

“Ash!”

Turning around, he saw Shorter waving him over.

“You should go too,” Ash suggested to Eiji, already making his leave.

“O-Okay,” Eiji nodded before suddenly calling back. “Ash, let’s talk again!”

Hearing that, Ash felt his chest flutter. Even though they didn’t talk much and in the time that they did, Ash acted coldly towards Eiji, hearing that the other was still willing to talk to him again, it made him feel oddly light. Although the chances of them meeting again during the evacuation were slim, let alone having the time to chat, Ash still raised a hand and gave the other a wave in response.

Jogging up to meet Shorter, his best friend looked between Ash and Eiji.

“Who was he?”

“No-one, don’t worry.” Ash waved dismissively. “So? What’s going on?”

Leading the way back to the southern gate where the rest of the soldiers were, Shorter updated Ash while the mayor continued to explain the evacuation procedure over the speakers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gosh, I’ll confess that I’m really enjoying this ‘exploration of character interactions’ (especially of Griffin and Skipper because… well, you know why ;_; ). And since I can see some fun potential in it, you can expect more to come. Anyway, thank you for reading – I hope you enjoyed that!! Update to come in two weeks, until then!!


	4. Izumo 2/3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The townspeople evacuate Izumo.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello and welcome back!! I hope everyone is well and ready for part 2 of the ‘Izumo arc’. We get a little bit of everything in this chapter, and that includes the beginning of some violent/gore-y descriptions but we’ve all seen banana fish so it’s nothing new. I hope you enjoy!!

Later that afternoon, the first group of evacuees left the town. Soldiers were dotted all around, helping the residents or directing the evacuation while others were patrolling the outer walls. Skipper was sent east to monitor the enemy’s movements as the rest of the platoon busied themselves with ushering people out of their homes.

Watching the townspeople lining up at their respective meeting points, Ash watched as they were marked off for attendance. Truck after truck of residents drove off the moment they were filled, taking the people away from their homes.

Absently, jade eyes scanned over the crowd again, overlooking the evacuation diligently.

Coming up beside him, his brother spoke up. “You’re still here?”

“Nii-san,” Ash greeted over his shoulder before turning back to observe the people.

“You’ve been here since the first lot were evacuated.” Griffin pointed out.

Ash didn’t know how to reply. What his brother said was true. Normally he found surveying boring so he often opted for patrolling the town or the outer walls in these situations. For him to voluntarily choose to oversee the evacuation was certainly odd and although at the back of his mind he knew the reason, he refused to admit it.

His brother, however, saw right through him and voiced that hidden reason.

Slinging an arm over the younger one’s shoulders, Griffin leant a bit of his weight onto Ash before quietly asking, “Are you looking for someone?”

At the implication, Ash visibly bristled. He felt a heat rush to his face before he turned and shoved Griffin lightly away.

“Nii-san!” Ash complained. “What are you saying?”

Surprised by the reaction, Griffin chuckled lightly behind a hand before turning to Ash with a knowing smile. “It’s nothing to be embarrassed about.” He said. “I’d actually be happy if you said you were looking for Eiji.”

“I’m not looking for him,” Ash muttered through a pout.

“I see,” Griffin conceded, patting his brother on the shoulder before he walked away. “Don’t forget to rest, okay?”

“You too, Nii-san.”

Continuing to watch the evacuees filtering out of the western gate, Ash found himself unable to concentrate. The conversation he had with his brother kept replaying in his head and every time, he would deny looking for Eiji. He just couldn’t bring himself to believe that he chose to stand around, surveying the evacuation rather than patrolling the town just because he wanted to see some other person he met earlier that day. Sure, it would be nice to know whether or not Eiji made it out safely or not but it wasn’t like not knowing would kill Ash. There was nothing special about Eiji anyway. He was basically the definition of ordinary.

Sighing through his mouth, Ash’s mind was now filled with Eiji. A small frustration boiled in his chest so he forced himself to turn away from the crowd. He should go find something else to do, something away from the evacuees to prove that he wasn’t surveying the crowd in search for someone.

Remembering that Shorter was stationed at the eastern gate, the opposite side of town from where Ash was, he gave himself an excuse to walk away. Turning his back on the people who were leaving town, Ash left. But with every step he took, he felt an urge to look over his shoulder just in case.

Just in case Eiji was there…

Ah, Ash let the thought slip!

Seriously, what was wrong with him?! He ruffled his hair harshly as if trying to forcefully shake the thought from his mind.

Dangerous. That was a word that crossed Ash’s mind earlier when talking to Eiji. Although he appeared ordinary and innocent, to be able to occupy so much of Ash’s usually calm mind and shake his emotions into a mess, it was terrifying.

But even so, Ash couldn’t help but feel attracted to Eiji.

Even when he was about to turn the corner where the western gate would disappear from sight, Ash found himself looking back at the crowd. Jade eyes swept over the residents again before taking the turn and the corner of the building got in the line of sight.

“Shorter!” Ash called out to his purple Mohawk best friend.

“Oh, Ash! What are you doing here?”

“Just having a wander,” Ash shrugged.

A huff of a laugh left Shorter. “Well, aren’t you carefree.”

“Any news on the pumpkins?” Ash ignored the other’s remark.

“We’re still waiting on Skipper,” Shorter informed as he led the way up the stairs and onto the outer walls. “He’s due to report back in an hour.”

“I see.”

“How’s everything going with the evacuation?”

Ash hummed lightly in thought. “Quite smoothly. I think we’ll be done in a few hours.”

While absently patrolling the walls, Ash and Shorter chatted and joked around as always. The soldiers stationed in the area scolded them for slacking off but there was no real bite to their words because the pair of them was known for this behaviour outside of the battlefield. In fact, according to Griffin, having two young soldiers in the platoon made the atmosphere among the men lighter and their presence was actually very appreciated.

“And he was _that_ close to knocking my bike over,” Shorter continued to complain about a resident from another town nearly reversing his vehicle into Shorter’s bike while he was inside the convenience store. “Like, dude, my girl is bright red. You can’t possibly say you didn’t see her.”

“This is why you’re never going to get a girlfriend.” Ash smirked. “You’d make her jealous of a bike.”

“At least I don’t have a brother complex,” Shorter argued.

Ash visible bristled. “Shorter, you jerk!”

The reaction made Shorter laugh every time. It was a joke among a few soldiers in the platoon, teasing Ash about how much he loved his brother and seemingly uninterested in a relationship.

Putting his best friend in a headlock, Shorter desperately patted Ash’s arm to surrender. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”

“You’re definitely not sorry,” Ash replied, although releasing Shorter anyway.

Coughing twice, Shorter regulated his breathing again before turning back to Ash with a smirk. “That gets you every time.”

Huffing, Ash looked away with a pout.

After a small pause, Shorter spoke up again, his tone slightly serious. “Say.”

“Hmm?”

“Did you two get together in the end?” Shorter asked. “Y’know, the one back at the Fortress.”

Even without having to elaborate, Ash knew who Shorter was asking about. How could he not? It was the girl he crushed on during his military school days, after all.

“We… didn’t get very far,” Ash confessed.

“You’re kidding?” Shorter sounded surprised and slightly upset.

Ash sighed deeply. “I finally worked up the courage to confess but she rejected me, even though she said that she felt the same.”

“What the hell?”

But Ash waved dismissively, stopping Shorter before he got the wrong idea and started blaming her. “Apparently, her dad doesn’t want her to date a soldier because of the risks. And not long after, he got a relocation and they had to move. If we started dating then we would have only had two months together.”

“He got a relocation just because he didn’t want you two getting together?” Shorter asked in disbelief.

But Ash shook his head. “We don’t know that.” Of course, Ash had his suspicions as well, but he couldn’t blame her or her father.

“Can’t she date whoever she liked?” Shorter replied with a sigh, his shoulders slumping. “That’s… not fair.”

“It can’t be helped.” Ash tried to shrug since he was aware of the insecurities from both sides when one person was fighting on the front lines. Still, it was hard. Ash really liked her, after all.

“Man, I’m sorry I asked.” Shorter apologised.

“It’s fine, really. I’m more or less over it already.” Ash offered a small smile to his best friend, to which the other tried his best to return.

“Well, there’s always another, right?” Shorter straightened up, pulling his arms over his head. “Someone who you might unexpectedly feel attracted and attached to.”

An image of an innocent looking face with big dark eyes and black wavy hair flashed in his mind’s eye, making Ash’s eyebrow twitched in response.

Really, why was Eiji popping up at a time like this? Ash didn’t know and he didn’t want to know.

Brushing the thought aside, Ash was just about to make an absent response when a violent chill crashed down his spine. He visibly shivered so hard that even Shorter noticed.

“Ash?”

Ignoring the other, Ash leant against the ledge of the wall, jade eyes scanning over the forest outside of Izumo that stretched out below them. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary but Ash had a bad feeling. His finger tips felt cold. The hairs on his body were standing. And he couldn’t shake the feeling as if they were being watched.

“Shorter,” Ash spoke up slowly and quietly. “When was Skipper supposed to have reported back?”

“Any time now,” Shorter replied firmly, sensing Ash’s seriousness. “It’s coming up to six hours since he left.”

“I see,” Ash replied, still carefully observing the trees for anything suspicious.

However, Skipper never returned. The soldiers by the eastern gate began feeling restless as their scout was nowhere to be found. Ash and Shorter grew more and more alert as one hour turned to two. And the sun began to set.

The town had long fallen into an eerie silence. Even though it was bathing in a warm dark orange glow, the elongated shadows that stretched across the land created an ominous atmosphere. Lanterns were distributed among those who were patrolling and standing guard outside the wall as the sun continued to sink further and further below the horizon. The winds also picked up, adding a chill to the air.

“Everyone,” Jenkins’ voice came through the earpiece. “Last group of evacuees are due to depart in one hour.”

One hour was a complicated length of time. It was long in the sense that if anything were to happen, holding the enemy off with this amount of people and for one hour would be beyond difficult. However, in reality, one hour wasn’t actually that long.

At the back of his mind, Ash prayed for the hour to pass by quickly.

With the sun fully set, twilight was upon them. Even with a flickering lantern in hand, Ash wasn’t feeling any of its warmth. Walking north along the eastern wall, a sudden gust blew past. He heard a clatter of something at the foot of the wall when a speck of dust got into his eye. Groaning in discomfort, Ash peered over the edge to see what it was that fell over. With one hand rubbing his eye and the other holding the lantern up to provide some light, he saw that it was someone else’s lantern. One of the soldiers who was stationed outside the wall had placed his light on the ground as he leant against the wall. The gust earlier must have knocked it over.

Ash was just about to shrug it off and continue his patrol when he noticed that the soldier didn’t make any move to pick the lantern up. From his angle, he couldn’t really see the soldier properly so all he could do was crane his neck. He debated whether he wanted to call out to him but in such silence and darkness, it was probably a bad idea. Picking up a small stone from the top of the wall, Ash dropped it close to the soldier but not close enough to hit him.

What Ash expected to hear was a clatter or a thud of the stone hitting the ground, but instead, he heard a splash. It hadn’t rained all day so how could there be a splash sound?

Something was definitely not right. Ash could feel his hairs stand on end but it wasn’t due to the temperature outside. Checking his surroundings to make sure no one was around, Ash lied down on his front and dangled arm with his lantern down the wall so that he could get as close to the other soldier as possible.

His blood instantly ran cold the moment the figure was lit up by Ash’s light.

Head hung low, the soldier was pinned to the wall with a knife in each shoulder. Blood was flowing all the way down his body and collecting in a puddle at his feet. That must have been where Ash’s stone fell.

Bolting up from where he was lying on the top of the roof, Ash reached for his flare gun when he sensed a presence behind him. Turning around, Ash had just enough time to react to the blade that narrowly missed his neck. Stumbling back, a figure dressed in complete black charged at him, swiping relentlessly and giving Ash no space or time to catch his breath.

He couldn’t figure out who his attacker was. Although the enemy usually wore the same black outfit, there was always the distinct bright orange pumpkin on their heads. However, this person didn’t. He wore a black mask instead.

Unable to retaliate, Ash continued to retreat while studying his opponent. But he should have known better than to focus on something else when fighting.

One burst towards him, Ash’s lantern was slice out of his hand. The cut wasn’t deep but his only source of light fell beyond the wall and shattered. A small fire was set ablaze, lighting up the immediate surroundings.

What horrified Ash wasn’t the growing fire, but the other soldiers who were stationed at the foot of the wall.

One was similar to the first soldier who was pinned to the wall, while another was impaled through the back, the position of the spear forcing the corpse to remain standing.

Without extinguishing their lanterns and positioning the dead soldiers as if they were still alive, anyone would overlook that. Horrified by the scene, Ash turned back to his attacker only to see him lunge.

Gripping the enemy’s wrists, Ash fell backwards. His back landed harshly against the top of the wall, knocking the air out of his lungs. It gave his opponent the opportunity to force his knife closer to Ash’s throat.

Finding a burst of strength, Ash wrestled the other off him before he whipped out both his pistol and flare gun. Taking aim simultaneously, Ash fired both guns, one diagonally across the sky while the other was directly in front. Both bullets succeeded in their tasks and Ash wasted no time in rushing to the enemy’s body. Inspecting the other, Ash was near to certain that he was a member of the Pumpkin Kingdom. Not just the outfit but also his scent. Ash would know that unpleasant smell of pumpkins anywhere.

Before he could search around any further, he felt a wave of uneasiness followed by the sounds of rapid movement. Stealthy, hushed actions were heard all around Ash and he figured that this was an attack unlike any they had experienced before. Instead of a frontal charge like the pumpkins had done so far at every invasion – this time, it was an ambush!

Running as quickly as he could back down the eastern wall, Ash regrouped with the other soldiers by the gate.

“Ash!” Shorter called.

“Close the gate!” Ash shouted back. “They’re coming from the northeast!”

“All squads,” the commander’s voice came in through the earpiece. “Prepare for combat!”

“Yes, sir!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh gosh, it’s all kicking off now… Here comes the enemy!! Anyway, I hope you enjoyed that build up. You can expect some action next chapter. And as always, update will come in two weeks. Thank you for reading!!


	5. Izumo 3/3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The pumpkins infiltrate the town of Izumo.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am SO sorry for the long wait, orz. My workload suddenly picked up and I just haven’t had any time to come back to this fic. I’m somewhat back on track with irl stuff now so hopefully by the new year, I can stick to my two week update schedule again. Once again, I’m sorry for the wait and thank you for being patient with me. I promise you, I will finish this fic and if there’s going to be another long delay, hopefully I’ll be able to let you know ahead of time. Anyway, here is the long overdue chapter ;_;

It was like a swarm had suddenly breached the wall around the town of Izumo. Swift figures dressed in complete black weaved in and out of the darkness, picking off soldiers one by one with knives only. It was difficult to even locate where they were, let alone subdue them. Everyone was rapidly being pushed back. Ash, Shorter and the squad stationed at the eastern gate were quickly becoming outnumbered.

“Commander, how much longer?”

“Thirty minutes at best!” Jenkins replied.

“Back up is coming!” Griffin’s voice called.

Hearing that Griffin was bringing his squad boosted the soldier’s morale a bit but it was nowhere enough to come out victorious in this battle.

Shooting down enemy after enemy, Ash truly felt the pressure of being on the front line. For the whole time since he joined the platoon, Griffin didn’t allow Ash to be at the very front. Sure, he was sent out to infiltrate and claim checkpoints but those were always achieved without the enemy’s attention on him. Never had Ash been in the forward position or decoy.

“Aslan!” A voice called out from behind him.

Shoving the enemy he was fighting to the ground before shooting him right between the eyes, Ash felt a sudden bloodthirsty presence behind him. He braced himself as he turned around, only to see the attacker shot in the side of the head. Falling to the ground with a dull thud, Ash turned to his saviour.

“Nii-san!”

Running up to Ash, Griffin grabbed his shoulders as he looked his brother up and down with worried eyes. “Alsan, are you alright? You’re not hurt, are you?”

“I’m okay, Nii-san,” Ash reassured, watching as his brother let out a breath of relief. “Thank you for saving me.”

“Hey, would you mind having your brotherly moment later?” Shorter called over his shoulder as he shot a few enemies down.

“Let’s talk later,” Griffin agreed before ordering the soldiers into a rough formation.

Ash did as he was told, working together with the others to fend off the enemy as much as they could.

But just as they established some form of rhythm to their fight, there was a powerful smash that quaked the ground. The soldiers looked between each other with wide eyes as a second smash was heard and felt. Tension in the air was thick as they waited for the third smash. When it came, it was accompanied by the sound of splitting wood and crumbling rocks.

The eastern gate had been breached!

Equipped with firearms, the main pumpkin forces had arrived.

“Commander!” Griffin shouted into the earpiece as he gestured the squad to retreat. “The eastern gate has been destroyed. Please order a retreat!”

“All soldiers to the western gate!” Jenkins ordered.

Amidst the panic and desperation, Ash, Griffin and some others still shot down the stealthy enemies in direct pursuit but when bullets came flying at them, Griffin told them to forget it and just run.

Turning the corner, the western gate came into view. One truck was open and waiting for the soldier to board while the other one had the few remaining evacuees just climbing in. Even from that distance, Ash made out a familiar figure who was worriedly glancing around on the truck as if looking for someone. He whipped around when the soldiers at the gate called for them.

Dark eyes met jade eyes and Ash couldn’t help himself but shout at Eiji.

“Leave!”

In that moment, the truck carrying the evacuees really did begin to drive off. Ash was filled with relief even though his own life was still in danger. But that moment of peace was quickly washed away when he heard a very distinct _clink_ sound from a few metres ahead of him.

“Aslan!”

The last thing he registered before a huge explosion occurred in front of him was his brother turning and diving back at him. The force of the blast threw them back a few feet, coughing and waving dust away from their faces.

“Are you alright?” Griffin asked. “Can you stand?”

“Yeah, I’m alright,” Ash said, getting to his feet.

“Let’s go,” Griffin said, grabbing hold of Ash’s hand before leading him towards where the explosion happened, running through the cloud of dust that still hadn’t settled.

He didn’t know how many people survived that grenade but it definitely wasn’t many. After clearing through the dust, the truck came into view while the other vehicle had already driven away. However, what Ash was shocked to see were two individuals who were most certainly _not_ soldiers but weren’t with the evacuees.

“You idiot!” Ash shouted at Eiji as he saw the young man among the soldiers. “Why didn’t you leave?!”

But just as he was focused on Eiji, a gunshot was heard and beside him, Griffin was losing balance. Dread filled Ash’s heart as he caught his brother before he fell completely to the ground. Blood spilled from the wound in his leg. His teeth were gritted hard together as he hissed in pain.

“Nii-san!” Ash cried, hands trembling as he tried to support his brother.

“Aslan, go!” Griffin ordered.

“No! I’m not leaving you!” Ash refused, dragging his brother a step forward.

“Aslan, listen to me!”

“No! I’m not-”

Ash was on the verge of crying when a clear sound of a motorbike revved up beside them.

“Ash!”

“Shorter!”

A wave of relief washed over him as he pulled Griffin up. “Shorter, take Nii-san with you.”

“Aslan, no! You-” Griffin tried to argue but Shorter interrupted.

“You’re coming with me, squad leader.” Shorter demanded, helping Griffin onto his bike before climbing on himself.

“But Aslan-”

He didn’t get a chance to finish what he wanted to say before Shorter drove off.

“Don’t die, Ash!” Shorter called back.

“I’ll be right behind you!” Ash shouted in response, chasing after the bike as his brother was driven off into the distance. Hurt and worry was written all over Griffin’s face and Ash cursed himself for being the reason his brother made such an expression.

Determined to keep his word, Ash concentrated on running. Even when a bullet skimmed past him, grazing his upper right arm and drawing blood, it didn’t stop him. Max was waving at him to hurry up while Eiji was coming towards Ash as if to meet him half way. How naïve could this person be?! When they make it out of the battlefield, Ash would certainly give the other an earful about how he didn’t know anything about danger.

“Ash!” Eiji called as he came within range.

But before they could make contact, another _clink_ was heard from beside Ash. Horror filled his heart as he looked forward to see that Eiji also knew what that sound meant.

With a desperate prayer and a burst of speed, Ash grabbed Eiji and dived away from the grenade. The blast threw them through the nearest window and into a shop of some kind. Broken glass was painfully crushed underneath them as they coughed the dust away.

“Ash!”

“Ei-chan!”

Max’s and Ibe’s voice were barely heard over the ringing in his ears. Taking two grenade explosions messed with Ash’s senses and it took him much longer than usual to collect himself.

“Ash!” He heard someone call him. “Ash!” Light taps were felt against his cheeks as he blinked a few times to clear the fog that clouded his mind.

His vision suddenly sharpened and what he saw in front of him was Eiji’s worried expression as he held Ash’s face in his hands.

“Eiji…” Ash replied, noticing how Eiji’s shoulders slumped in relief.

“Thank goodness.”

But gunshots outside reminded them of where they were and that they weren’t in the least bit safe.

“Shunichi, we can’t!”

“Wait, Ei-chan’s still-!”

Ash heard Max and Ibe argue before the sound of the engine of the truck starting. Without needing to see through the cloud of dust, Ash could already imagine the situation. They were going to be left behind!

“Wait!” Ash called, taking Eiji’s hand into his right as he pulled themselves up.

Broken glass crunched underneath their steps as they leapt through the shop window. They charged blindly through the thick dust before breaking through only to see the back of the truck. Ash and Eiji ran after the vehicle as it rapidly drove away. Max and Ibe called for them but it was futile. Even when Max made a move to jump off the truck, the other soldiers held him back.

They were really going to abandon them.

Jade eyes saw Max raise a hand to his ear before his voice came through Ash’s device.

“Ash, I promise we’ll come back for you!” Max’s voice sounded strained as if he were on the verge of tears. “I’m so sorry… Please, stay alive!”

“I will!” Ash shouted, left hand in his earpiece while his right hand held Eiji’s hand tightly. “I’ll stay-”

But Ash didn’t get to finish his sentence when his device shattered against his ear. Pieces of plastic exploded everywhere from where his earpiece was shot.

“Ash!” Eiji exclaimed from beside him, wrapping an arm around his waist to support him.

His left ear was bleeding a lot. The ringing was back and louder than ever. It was giving him a headache. Staggering towards the gate, Ash shouted to Eiji. Even though the other was right beside him, he couldn’t tell how loud everything was around them so he made sure to speak so that the other could hear him. “Run into the forest! We’ll hide there!”

Ash wasn’t sure whether Eiji heard him or not but the direction they were running in wasn’t wrong. They dashed through the gates and straight into the trees. Weaving around the branches and trunks as if it were natural, Ash blindly followed Eiji deep into the forest. Had they not been joined at the hands, Ash was almost certain that he would have lost the other in the darkness.

They didn’t continue for very far however when Ash sensed an enemy to their right. Pulling Eiji back, the other made a surprised sound as he lost balance and knocked them over. Landing in the space between Ash’s legs, he was momentarily dazed as he wasn’t expecting the fall.

“Ouch…” Eiji muttered, snapping Ash out of his daze to cover the other’s mouth.

Judging by the movements of the enemy, it was probably correct to assume that either their stumble or Eiji’s voice was heard.

Reaching his bloody hand behind him for his gun, Ash pulled out his pistol in preparation. Both of them were frozen stiff, unable to do anything but wait in the darkness. The anticipation was killing Ash. He had to prepare himself for anything because even if he could protect himself, Eiji couldn’t.

The pressure of protecting someone weighed down on Ash heavily. He had never felt this way before and somewhere in the back of his mind, he worried that he wouldn’t be able to keep Eiji safe.

Just as doubt began to cloud Ash’s mind, a pair of warm hands cupped the bloody hand that held his gun. He didn’t even realise that he was trembling but Eiji managed to calm him down with just a small bit of contact.

His senses returned in a flash.

With a clear mind, Ash focused on the movements of the enemy. Now that he was focused, he realised that there were actually more than one enemy in the area. There were two to the left, one in front and behind them. With no one to their right anymore and the enemy’s movements were slowly drifting further left, Ash decided to wait until the coast was clear.

They sat still for a long while until not even a single rustle in the forest was heard.

“I think they’re gone,” Ash whispered, shoulders relaxing a little.

“Ash…”

The call of his name was felt more than heard. A hot breath filtered through his fingers, reminding Ash that he still had Eiji’s mouth covered. Withdrawing his hand quickly, Ash apologised.

“Sorry, I forgot…”

“It’s fine,” Eiji whispered back as he turned around, their faces dangerously close. “So, what’s the plan?”

Unconsciously, Ash swallowed before turning slightly away. “To our right is probably the safest for now,” he said, tipping his chin in that direction before making his way to get up. But before he could do so, Eiji went to grab his shoulders and force him back down. “Wha-?”

Ash didn’t get a chance to ask when Eiji reached up to his left ear with his sleeve. Instinctively, Ash flinched away but Eiji went to cup his cheek with his other hand so that he could dab away the blood that was trickling from his ear.

“Does it hurt?” Eiji asked softly.

“Not really,” Ash denied, feeling a little embarrassed by the interaction. “We shouldn’t be doing this here. It’s still not safe.”

“One more thing then,” Eiji said, pulling at his top before tearing a strip of fabric from it.

“What are you-?”

But once again, Ash was cut off as Eiji reached for the other’s right arm. He barely even remembered getting shot in the arm but it seemed like Eiji was aware of it. Just as he was tying the makeshift bandage to his arm to stop the bleeding, a few droplets of water was felt against their face before it began to rain.

“Just our luck,” Ash hissed under his breath. “How far is it until the next village if we go right?”

“Not for another few hours by foot.” Eiji informed sadly.

Clicking his tongue, Ash tried to think up a quick solution to getting out of the rain when Eiji spoke up again.

“But there is a tree house not too far away.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gosh, I still feel bad for not updating in a while. I hope this chapter makes up for it a little? I really will try and stick with an update every two weeks. Anyway, thank you for reading, and being patient with me – have a very Happy New Year and I wish you all the best for 2020. Until next time!!


	6. Tree house

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ash and Eiji take shelter in a nearby tree house.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back!! We have a much calmer chapter compared to last time and guess what? We get some relationship development, whoop whoop!! And a pinch of character background too. There’s also the reveal of the previously, but vaguely, mentioned ‘Fortress’. Well, you’ll find out – Enjoy!!

Being guided through the dense forest by hand again, Eiji led the way to the tree house where some of the kids from Izumo used to play. It was well hidden in the branches and although it wasn’t in the best of conditions with a slightly leaking roof, it provided enough cover for them.

“Ash, take off your clothes.” Eiji said, making Ash whip around bewildered. But it didn’t seem like the other noticed as he was busy pulling a wire from a hole in the wall, dragging it to the opposite wall and securing it on a hook. “We can hang them here,” he gestured before proceeding to take off his top.

Underneath the other’s jumper was a surprisingly tone body. Eiji’s muscles were quite defined, his upper body looking strong like that of a regular athlete. Popping his head out of his clothes, Eiji lightly shook his hair loose, a few droplets of water sprinkling around him before he glanced at Ash with a tilt of his head. “Hmm?”

Ash felt like his chest had just lurched at the sight and he quickly turned his back on the other before stripping his own clothes off. He really didn’t mean to stare but for someone who Ash thought was plain and ordinary, he didn’t expect him to have such a body type. Ash had seen many soldiers topless before, all with muscles bigger and stronger than Eiji’s. Hell, Ash had even seen a handful of soldiers butt naked before. But none have ever made Ash feel like he wanted a second look or caused his face to heat up.

Eiji was truly a dangerous man.

Ash heard the unbuckling of a belt before Eiji perked up in a hushed voice. “Ah, I forgot something!” Rushing over to the shelf that had been carved out of the tree trunk, Eiji pulled out three buckets before taking them out onto the small balcony.

“What are you doing?” Ash wondered.

“Collecting rain water,” Eiji explained. “We can use it for either drinking or washing later.”

Making a somewhat impressed sound, Ash continued to remove his clothes. Eiji did the same and before long, the two of them were stripped down to their underwear and everything else was hanged up for drying.

Half way through a shiver from the lack of clothes and the dampness of his skin, a towel was thrown at Ash.

“Hey!”

“You can use that to dry off.” Eiji said, taking two more towels out from the tree trunk. He threw one over his shoulders and wore it like a cape, whereas the other one was laid out on the floor and against one side of the wall. “Sit down for now, Ash.” Eiji suggested as he smoothed out the wrinkles in the towel.

Taking up the offer, Ash sat down on the hard wooden floor, wrapping the towel around his body in an attempt to warm up.

“Are you hungry?” Eiji asked as he continued to rummage through the tree trunk. “There are some snacks left here.”

“Are those safe to eat?” Ash worried.

Eiji laughed lightly. “I’ll check the expiry date to make sure.”

But Ash wasn’t exactly hungry so he declined. “I’m fine. Don’t bother.”

Eiji joined him on the floor before long, sitting down and then wrapping an extra blanket over their shoulders.

He smiled apologetically. “There’s only one of these but it should be big enough for the two of us. I hope you don’t mind sharing.”

“No, I don’t,” Ash replied, snuggling into the blanket and feeling his body temperature return.

When Eiji finally settled, the space between them was near to none, their shoulders and arms pressed lightly. The warmth they shared under the blanket was comfortable and Ash felt himself relaxing into the other, listening to pitter patter of the rain against the roof.

“Are you warm enough?” Eiji asked quietly.

Blinking open jade eyes, Ash didn’t even know when he closed his eyes. Mentally kicking himself for lowering his guard, he straightened up a little. “Yeah, I’m fine. Are you?”

“Yeah, I’m alright too.”

They shared a small pause before Eiji spoke up again. “And your wounds?”

Ash hummed a light note before reaching a hand up to his ear. He felt around but couldn’t quite determine how bad the wound was with all the dried blood.

“Do you want me to take a look?” Eiji asked, already moving.

Ash didn’t feel like he was going to take no for an answer so he willingly turned his head so that the other could see. A hand gently hooked blond hair behind his ear before ghosting over the shell of his ear. The action caused Ash to shiver slightly but he blamed it on the loss of Eiji’s body heat and the opened blanket.

“It doesn’t look too bad but we should probably clean off some of the blood,” Eiji suggested.

He withdrew his hand before making a move to get up but Ash reached out a hand and grabbed Eiji’s wrist. Both of them looked at each other in surprise and they shared a pause. When the action finally caught up to Ash, he let go of the other before muttering an apology.

“S-Sorry…”

“I wont do anything then,” Eiji smiled softly before returning to his seat.

Unlike before, there was a very thin gap between their arms, their shoulders no longer touching.

The silence between them dragged on for a while. Ash wasn’t really bothered by it since it allowed him to focus on staying alert.

In his mind, Ash was thinking up their next plan of action when a droplet of water landed right on the tip of his nose. Whether it was the sudden small splash or the chill that it brought, Ash didn’t know but it made him startle out of his skin. In turn, Eiji also jumped at the reaction, turning to Ash with wide eyes.

“What happened?”

Rubbing his nose with his towel, Ash shook his head. “Nothing. Just… This place is a wreck.” Ash couldn’t help but complain.

A small laugh left Eiji as he shuffled and gestured Ash to move over too. “It’s not the best for something that was built only a year ago,” Eiji confessed. “But it’s not the worst, right?”

“Did you build it?”

“I only helped a bit. It was mainly the children’s parents who did most of the job.”

Ash hummed an impressed note. “You’re quite close with everyone, huh.”

“I guess you could say that.” Eiji laughed shyly. “I’ve been looking after their kids for three years now so I guess it’s only natural.”

“You’re a sports teacher, right?” Ash double checked, to which Eiji nodded.

“I also work as Ibe-san’s assistant.” Eiji added. “He’s a photographer.”

“Is that so,” Ash nodded absently. “But three years, huh.” Ash repeated before thinking that it was slightly surprising given the other’s age. Wait, he didn’t know Eiji’s age. Ash had only assumed that he was younger. “Say, how old are you?”

“Hmm? I’m 19.”

“Eh…? Really?” Ash couldn’t help but sound surprised.

A pout slowly appeared on Eiji’s face. “Don’t tell me you thought I was younger than you.”

“Of course not…” Ash looked away. He could feel Eiji’s gaze boring a hole into him. “Well, okay, maybe.”

Unexpectedly, a chuckle left Eiji. “It’s fine, you’re not the first to assume that. You’re 18, right?”

“17,” Ash corrected.

“Wow,” Eiji sounded impressed. “You really don’t seem like it. You’re really mature.”

“I am a soldier,” Ash reminded.

“But I thought military school was until 18?” Eiji wondered.

“It is,” Ash confirmed. “But I left school when I was 16.”

“How come?”

“I, uhh…” Ash rolled the reason around in his mouth, debating whether to tell Eiji. He decided to anyway. “I got permission to leave early when my brother came to the Fortress.”

“He wasn’t with you?”

Ash shook his head. “He was…” Ash paused before he ran a hand through his hair. It was probably a better idea to start from the beginning so Eiji could follow. “By the time I was born, my brother was in his last year at military school. He graduated and requested to undergo training at Cape Cod, our hometown.”

Eiji nodded as Ash continued.

“He raised me and was more like a father to me than my actual father. But then at the age of 6…”

“The invasion?” Eiji asked quietly.

Ash nodded. “Yeah, Cape Cod was invaded. My baseball club’s coach betrayed the town and leaked information to the pumpkins.” Hatred boiled in his blood at the memory of his coach but he released his anger through a heavy sigh. “My brother was obviously deployed and I was evacuated to the Fortress. And that was where I spent the next ten years of my life in military school before I met my brother again.”

“Ten years apart?” Eiji breathed.

“Yeah,” Ash smiled sadly. “So when he said he was leaving again, I was determined to go with him. I wasn’t allowed at first but because my brother’s on good terms with the commander, they helped me get out early.”

“So you’ve been fighting the pumpkins for a year now?”

“Yeah.”

“Wow,” Eiji replied absently. “It feels like we live in two different worlds,” he said through a small laugh.

Ash found himself huffing a laugh too. Somehow, talking like this with Eiji was comfortable. They chatted for a little while longer before Ash felt a small weight on his shoulder. Looking over, he saw that Eiji was dozing off and had unconsciously leant on Ash. As if to accommodate the other, Ash also leant against Eiji, not feeling bothered by the contact at all.

Even though he told himself that he was going to stay alert throughout the night, fatigue caught up to him and eventually, Ash dozed off too.

Flashes of the previous day invaded Ash’s sleeping mind. The horrifying scene of dead soldiers pinned to the wall of the eastern gates made his stomach churn. The explosion of the grenade made his ears ring. And his brother being shot in the leg made him bolt violently awake.

The sudden movement knocked Eiji off his shoulder. Disorientated by being abruptly shrugged off, Eiji and Ash looked at each other with wide eyes. The events leading up to where they were in the tree house pieced together and only then did Ash feel like he could breathe again.

Crawling over to Ash, Eiji fixed the towel Ash had over his shoulders and looked at him cautiously.

“Are you alright?”

“Y-Yeah,” Ash replied, looking down at the floor to collect himself. “Sorry about that.”

Shaking his head lightly, Eiji offered a soft smile. It was reassuring and Ash could already feel himself rapidly calming down. In the meantime, Eiji got up and picked out a small cup from the shelf. Ash watched as the other went out to the balcony and scooped up a cup of water.

The rain had stopped without them realising. Judging by how the world wasn’t completely pitch black outside, Ash could only assume that it was just a little while before dawn.

Returning inside, Eiji offered the cup of water to Ash. He took it with a small nod of thanks.

While Ash was sipping the water, Eiji busied himself with checking whether the clothes were dry. They were still in their underwear so Ash took a moment to enjoy the view. Somehow, even in a small damp tree house, Ash thought it was an oddly domestic scene and he couldn’t help himself but say, “You’d make a good housewife.”

Throwing a disbelieving look over his shoulder at Ash, Eiji asked carefully. “What… are you saying?”

“Nothing,” Ash feigned innocence.

“Whatever,” Eiji ignored the other, returning to checking the clothes. “Everything seemed to have dried quite well so you can get dressed whenever.”

Unexpectedly, a small pang of disappointment was felt in his chest when he saw Eiji pulling on his shirt.

After dressing, Ash poked his head out of the balcony to see that dawn had broken. The world was slowly lighting up from the east side but something else caught his eye in the west. It was a gentle glow in the dark horizon which wasn’t caused by the moon.

“Are you looking at the Fortress?” Eiji asked, appearing beside him.

“That’s the Fortress of York?” Ash asked in surprise.

From where they were just outside the town of Izumo, the Fortress of York was at least a full day away by car. In a dense forest surrounded by trees, Ash didn’t expect to be able to see the Fortress from such a distance.

“Yeah,” Eiji nodded. “You can see it a bit better if we go upstairs.”

“There’s an upstairs?”

Without wasting any time, Eiji led the way ‘upstairs’. In reality, it was just a make-shift ladder made from the tree’s natural branches that led up to a small platform that wasn’t even big enough for the two of them. With Eiji at the top, Ash stopped just behind the other. But thankfully, with his height, he was still able to see the scenery.

Through the branches of nearby trees and over the treetops of those in the distance, Ash could see that the forest stretched far and wide. The glow in the distance was definitely that of the Fortress of York. It’s artificial light shining brightly while the rest of the world slowly woke up. The sun broke through the horizon and a new morning began.

Looking around curiously, Ash noticed that the western wall of Izumo could be seen. They were just high enough to see over the top but with the density of the leaves and the distance, Ash could only make out collapsed buildings and some enemies shuffling in the town. Seeing pumpkin heads crawling around made Ash’s skin prickle and he forced his gaze away.

Not too far away, Ash noted a small village. It was probably the one Eiji mentioned the previous night. Wanting to confirm that, Ash looked up at the other, however the question he wanted to ask was stuck in his throat. Highlighted by the rising sun, Eiji’s features glowed. The light breeze threaded through his curly dark locks, making them dance quietly, while dark eyes were gazing softly out.

The image took Ash’s breath away.

“Ash?” Not sure how long he had been staring, Eiji looked down at the other with a questioning tilt of his head. “What’s wrong?”

“N-Nothing,” Ash replied, looking away awkwardly.

“Let’s go back down,” Eiji suggested and Ash did as he was told.

After tidying up the tree house, Ash and Eiji climbed back down to the foot of the tree and made their way to the next village.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhh, that was such a sweet chapter to write. I hope you enjoyed it. Ash’s little crush is starting to get out of hand, bless. And yes, I saved the full name of the Fortress until now because guess where we’re going next chapter? That’s right, to the Fortress of York!! Until next time!!


	7. Old Fortress of York 1/2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ash and Eiji make their way to the Fortress of York.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back!! We’re entering the next ‘arc’ of this story and it’s basically just going to be relationship development for a little while so it should be good fun. Why the chapter title is called ‘Old’ Fortress of York…? That’ll be explained XD I hope you enjoy!!

By the time they arrived, they saw that the villagers were packing up and getting ready to leave. Eiji seemed acquainted with some of them and asked around. It turned out that they heard about the attack at Izumo and were evacuating to the Fortress themselves. Jumping on one of the trucks that was due to leave, Ash and Eiji sat closely together as the vehicle drove towards their destination.

Swaying along with the movements of the truck, their shoulders bumped lightly together.

“Is this your first time at the Fortress?” Ash asked, leaning slightly into Eiji so that the other could hear him.

Turning to face the other to reply, both jade eyes and dark eyes widened at how close their faces were and in that same moment, the truck drove over a ditch and Ash lurched forwards. Their noses bumped together, not hard enough to cause a nosebleed or anything but they both instantly turned away with a hand covering their face.

“S-Sorry,” Ash apologised even though it wasn’t entirely his fault.

“N-No, it’s… I’m sorry too,” Eiji replied, peering at Ash shyly before clearing his throat. “Anyway, what did you say? Oh, right.” Remembering what Ash had asked earlier seemed to have made the other forget about what just happened. Resuming their conversation actually made Ash relax. “No, I haven’t been to the Fortress before,” Eiji answered. “So this will be the first time.”

“It’s a lot different to Gizumo,” Ash informed.

“I’m not from Gizumo,” Eiji chuckled, making Ash turn to him in confusion. But before he could ask anything, Eiji corrected him. “It’s I-zu-mo.”

“I-zu-mo,” Ash repeated, his gaze getting lost in Eiji’s dark eyes.

With a smile and a nod, Eiji continued. “I’ve only ever been to small towns and villages so even if you say it’s different, I cant really imagine it.”

“Just imagine an even bigger town with lots of cars and lots of people.” Ash suggested.

“That’s awfully vague,” Eiji laughed lightly. “I heard that there are two parts to the city too?”

“Yeah,” Ash nodded. “There’s the New Fort and the Old Fort. They’re just two districts.”

“I see,” Eiji hummed absently. “Do you miss it there?”

The question caught Ash off guard. Humming in thought while tilting his head from side to side, Ash wondered. “I haven’t really thought about it,” Ash confessed.

“Do you have friends there?”

A few familiar faces flashed in his mind and he couldn’t help but smile at the thought. “Yeah, I have some.”

“What about a girlfriend?”

Ash nearly choked. “Wh-What?!”

Nearly everyone around them looked at Ash in a mixture of confusion and surprise. Ducking under the many gazes pointed his way, Ash felt his cheeks heat up from the embarrassment.

“What the hell, Eiji?!” He hissed under his breath.

Eiji, however, seemed to have found his reaction funny. Chuckling behind a hand, the other smirked at Ash. “You totally have someone, right?”

Huffing a heavy breath, Ash turned the other way and muttered. “I don’t have one.”

“Eh?” Eiji asked, either he didn’t hear or he didn’t believe it.

Glancing back at Eiji, the other wore a sad expression. Somehow, seeing that made Ash feel guilty.

A sigh left him. “I don’t have a girlfriend,” Ash began. “I had someone I liked though but she… we weren’t allowed to be together. And then she moved away not long after that.”

There was a quiet pause between the two of them before Eiji apologised. “I’m sorry I asked.”

But Ash waved his hand dismissively. “It’s fine. I’m more or less over it already,” Ash replied easily, feeling as if he had said the same thing before.

In fact, he did have this conversation recently. On the eastern wall before the pumpkins invaded Izumo, Ash and Shorter had the same conversation. He felt the corners of his lips twitched when he remembered what Shorter said afterwards.

_There’s always another, right? Someone who you might unexpectedly feel attracted and attached to._

Jade eyes widened as the words replayed in his head. Quietly, he dared to look at Eiji but the other was already looking at him.

“Hmm?” Eiji hummed as he tilted his head in question.

The action made Ash think, _cute_. But the moment he did, he felt embarrassed.

Shaking his head lightly to clear his thoughts, Ash decided to turn the conversation around. “So, what about you? Do you have a girlfriend?” But it wasn’t after he asked that he felt his chest grow tight.

“Me?” Eiji seemed surprised that Ash asked him. “I don’t,” he shook his head.

For some reason, Ash asked as if needing to confirm twice. “You don’t?”

“I don’t,” Eiji repeated with a huff of a laugh.

Somehow, Ash felt relieved to hear that. Perhaps it was the feeling that he wasn’t the only one without a partner, or maybe it was something else.

“I see,” was what Ash absently replied before they fell into silence.

Occupied by strange thoughts for the rest of the journey, Ash felt like his head was clouded by thick cotton. His mind was unorganised, disappearing and being replaced by fragments of thoughts that he couldn’t follow.

He wasn’t sure how long had passed when he felt a slight shake in his shoulders.

At first, he thought it was just the swaying of the truck but when he registered the voice by his ear, Ash blinked open his eyes.

“Ash? Ash, wake up.”

Groaning at the stiffness of his neck, Ash turned in the direction of Eiji’s voice. His vision took a while to focus but when it did, he noticed how close their faces were. He had a momentary flash of déjà vu before the truck lurched and Ash bumped his forehead into the other’s chin.

The two groaned at the impact. Pulling apart, they rubbed their respective sore spots.

“Sorry,” Ash apologised. “For the headbutt and for sleeping on you.”

“It’s alright,” Eiji dismissed.

“How close are we, anyway?” Ash asked, craning his head out to the side to look.

“The driver said about 20 minutes away,” Eiji informed, but Ash could figure that out even without being told.

In front of them was a straight road leading to a high stone wall. It was taller and stronger than the walls around Cape Cod and Izumo. The gates were grand and the walls were armed with cannons. Beyond the walls, tall buildings could be seen towering from within the city. All were of different shapes and sizes, and Ash could recognise most of them. A feeling of nostalgia bloomed in his chest.

Passing through the gates where they were only briefly stopped by patrolling soldiers for inspection, Ash felt a wave of memories wash over him as he re-entered the city for the first time in more than a year. Some of the children in the truck were gazing ahead in awe, speaking enthusiastically as it was their first time at the Fortress. Ash couldn’t help but think how differently their reaction was to when he first came to this place. Filled with rage and devastation, Ash remembered cursing the pumpkin army with all his might and promising himself that he would join the Resistance to fight by his brother’s side and defeat the Pumpkin King.

Wondering how Eiji was feeling, jade eyes glanced over to the other. A part of Ash thought he would be at least a little worried, perhaps for his family or for being in a large foreign city, but what he saw was a quietly excited expression on his face, his lips slightly parted as his dark eyes shimmered. A huff of a laugh left Ash. Really, he was just driven out of his home by pumpkins yet he was still able to look so carefree.

As they continued to ride the truck past the military areas of the Old Fort, Ash noticed a small commotion between soldiers by the side of the road.

“You can’t, squad leader! You need to rest!”

“I don’t have time to for that. I need to go!”

Craning his head over the other passengers at the familiar voices, Ash recognised them. They were men from the same platoon and the person they were holding back was-

“Nii-san!”

Swinging his legs over the side, Ash leapt off the truck before breaking out into a run.

“Wha-? Ash?!” He heard Eiji call from behind him but Ash ignored him.

Reacting to the call, Ash’s brother spun around so quickly that he nearly knocked over his own men. With a bandaged leg and a crutch under one arm, Griffin’s expression went from surprise to relief in a flash.

“Aslan!”

Tossing aside his crutch, Griffin limped forward despite his injury. Thankfully, Ash was a fast runner and his brother didn’t have to take too many steps before Ash crashed into him, arms wrapping tightly around the other.

“Nii-san…!” Filled with relief that his brother was on his feet, tears threatened his eyes.

“Thank god, you’re alive. Aslan, I was so worried.” Griffin breathed into Ash’s shoulder, his voice trembling as he held his brother in his arms. “I’m so glad you’re alright.”

“Me too, Nii-san.” Ash replied, stifling his own sobs. “Me too.”

The shouting alerted some other soldiers but the person Ash noticed was the bearded man who came out of the nearest building. He wasn’t a soldier but before Ash could remember who he was, a shout came from behind Ash.

“Ibe-san!”

Relief flashed across the bearded man’s face as he shouted back. “Ei-chan!”

And without a wasted second, Ibe took off into a run exactly like Ash did when he saw Griffin.

Turning his head to the side, jade eyes glanced back over his shoulder to see that Ibe and Eiji had also tackled each other into a hug. Patting the other lightly on the back as if to reassure him that he was alright, Eiji looked up and their eyes met. A soft smile pulled at Eiji’s lips, his expression so gentle that it made Ash’s heart flutter. Unable to keep eye contact, Ash looked away and dropped his forehead onto his brother’s shoulder.

“Aslan?” Griffin asked, loosening his hold on his brother.

“It’s nothing, Nii-san,” Ash replied, pulling away slowly.

Griffin made an interested note before leaning to the side so that he peered around Ash and in the direction of Eiji and Ibe behind him. “Is that so,” his brother hummed, looking back at Ash with a raised eyebrow.

Whatever Griffin was thinking, Ash was about to dismiss it when a soldier came up beside them with his brother’s previously discarded crutch.

“Squad leader, you shouldn’t put too much pressure on your leg.”

“Oh, thank you.” Griffin replied, taking the crutch and putting it back under his arm to support his weight.

“Let’s go inside, Nii-san,” Ash offered.

Shortly after getting his brother back into bed inside the clinic, Ibe and Eiji joined them. Seated around Griffin, Ash asked about the current situation and the plan going forward.

“The commander’s currently organising an operation to take back Izumo,” Griffin informed. “Reinforcements will be attacking from the south and we’ll re-enter from the west.”

Ash nodded in understanding.

“We’ve had some reports saying that the pumpkins have been spotted moving north from Izumo…”

“That’s towards Chinatown,” Ash commented, to which his brother nodded.

“But we can’t be certain because Skipper’s still missing.”

“He hasn’t been found yet?”

Griffin shook his head.

They shared a moment of silence.

Ash quietly worried over Skipper’s well being, not only because he was young and the platoon’s best information gatherer, but also because he was a kid Griffin saved just a year before Ash was reunited with his brother at the Fortress. Skipper held his brother in very high regard and as a result, he also respected Ash. At first, Ash wasn’t sure how to feel about Skipper but not very long after joining the platoon himself, he realised that his attitude was unfair. Skipper was a bright kid and knew his place very well. He wasn’t trying to ‘steal’ Ash’s brother away from him nor did Griffin treat the young boy any differently from how the other soldiers did. Skipper simply saw Griffin as his saviour and wanted to repay him. Whether it was out of guilt at first or something else, Skipper eventually became a close friend to Ash in the platoon.

“Skip will be fine,” Eiji spoke up, earning the attention of the people around him. He hesitated a little bit under everyone’s gaze but he straightened up. “I was only with him for a few days but whenever we played hide-and-seek, he won every time. So, I’m sure he’s well hidden in a place the enemy doesn’t know.”

Ash was impressed by the other’s confidence but the truth was, what Eiji said wasn’t wrong. They all knew that Skipper was exceptionally skilled at sneaking around and scouting. No matter how dangerous it was, he would always find his way back.

“You’re right,” Griffin agreed with a nod. “We should have more faith in him.”

Just as the atmosphere inside the clinic began to feel lighter, they heard thundering footsteps outside, followed by the door being harshly thrown open.

“Squad leader?!” A soldier exclaimed at the newcomer.

But the other ignored it. “Ash!”

“Old man?!” Ash stood up from his chair as Max dashed into the room and pulled Ash into a tight embrace. The other’s strong arms wrapped around him and for a moment, Ash thought he might get crushed.

“Thank god, you’re alright.” Max breathed in relief, his voice trembling like Griffin’s earlier. “I wouldn’t know what I’d do if anything happened to you. I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself.”

“I’m not going to be alright if you hold me any tighter,” Ash replied, patting Max on the arm.

“Oh, sorry.”

Letting him go, Ash felt like he could breathe again.

“No, but I’m really glad you’re alright.” Max confessed.

“I’m fine, I’m fine.” Ash waved dismissively at him. “You’re going to go bald if you worry that much.”

“You little…” Max huffed, looping an arm around Ash’s shoulders. “I can’t say I’ve missed your snarky comments.”

“Hey, get off me!” Ash protested.

“What’s wrong with me worrying about my lil bro, huh?” Max teased.

“When did I become your brother?!”

“Griff, here, is my best friend. In other words, he’s my best bro,” Max jabbed a thumb in Griffin’s direction. “Which means, my best bro’s lil bro is also my lil bro, right?”

“Wha-?!”

“What do you think, Griff?” Max smiled at his best friend.

Chuckling behind a hand, Griffin shrugged. “I see no problem with that.”

“Nii-san!” Ash complained, feeling betrayed by his brother.

Despite his cry in protest, the people around him were laughing. Max was snickering beside him, Ibe was trying his best to hide his smile behind a hand while Griffin and Eiji chuckled quietly. Although he was the source of their laughter, Ash didn’t mind.

“You look like you’re having fun,” a voice spoke up from behind him.

“Shorter!” Ash greeted after shrugging Max’s arm off him.

“Yo!” His best friend raised a hand before stepping forward to hug Ash. “Knew you’d come back.”

Ash returned the hug. “Thanks for bringing my brother here.”

“No problem,” Shorter replied, patting Ash on the shoulder as they pulled apart.

“Did the commander send you here, Shorter?” Max spoke up, seriousness returning to his voice.

“Yeah,” Shorter answered with a nod. “He’d like all squad leaders to gather.”

Before he even finished, Griffin was already making a move to get off the bed but Ash reached out and held his brother in place.

“You have to rest,” Ash said firmly. “I’ll go instead.”

“But…” Griffin tried to argue.

“Leave it to us, Griff.” Max added reassuringly.

Griffin seemed reluctant but given how walking was still quite a struggle for him, he conceded without further argument. “Tell me everything afterwards.”

With that, Shorter led the way out. Max followed closely behind while Ash took one last look over his shoulder. Jade eyes met dark eyes, and Ash received a small smile and nod before he left the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you actually think I’d paralyse/kill off Griffin? Of course not, there’s no way I’d do that. Let’s just be happy that the brothers are reunited, yaaayyy!! Thank you for reading, next chapter will be in around 2 weeks, hopefully – Until then!!


	8. Old Fortress of York 2/2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The soldiers plan their next course of action.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back!! The summary kind of suggests that this chapter is plot focused but really, it’s half and half – half plot, half relationship stuff. Tbh, I don’t have much to say about this chapter so without further ado, I hope you enjoy!!

The meeting with the commander was to explain their next plan of action. Collaborating with a few other platoons from the Fortress of York, they planned to march back into Izumo from the west and take back the town. The approach was a simple frontal attack in hopes of driving out the enemy before they have time to settle.

“The only problem is that we don’t really have any good vantage points.” Another platoon’s commander said as he pointed to the map and drew a rough circle around Izumo. “There are no hills in the area for our scouts and sending them in close is too risky.”

“We’re also missing our best scout,” Jenkins added as he hummed in thought.

Although there weren’t any hills around Izumo for scouts to see over the wall, there was one place Ash could think of that could.

“There’s a tree house,” Ash spoke up.

“What?” One commander sounded unimpressed. “And what good is that information? Children’s tree houses won’t be of any help.”

“I’d like to hear him out,” Jenkins said, giving Ash a nod to continue.

“When a resident of Izumo and I were escaping the town by foot, we took shelter in a nearby tree house. I admit it wasn’t the steadiest building but it’s well hidden within the trees and there is a platform high in the branches that could provide some view of the town.” Ash explained, remembering the view he had of the forest when he climbed up the tree with Eiji.

The other commanders didn’t look convinced but one still spoke up. “Where is this tree house?”

“Ah…” Ash hesitated. Looking down at the map, he could hazard a guess however it probably wouldn’t be a good idea.

“He doesn’t even know,” one commander rolled his eyes.

“Wait!” Ash urged, looking to Jenkins who gave him a stern look. “I may not know exactly where it is but Eiji might.”

“Eiji?”

“The person I escaped with.” Ash informed.

“And how do you expect to find him with so many evacuees here?”

“I know where he is,” Ash replied confidently, looking over his shoulder at Shorter.

His best friend understood immediately. “I’ll go get him.”

Discussions continued for a little while longer before they all heard a motorbike stop outside.

Pushing open the door shyly, a familiar face poked his head around and peered inside. His expression was nervous and awkward under the many intimidating gazes.

“Eiji,” Ash called out to him.

At the call of his name, Eiji perked up. When he saw Ash, his face brightened up and he stopped cowering behind the door. With a polite bow to the commanders and soldiers present, Eiji hurried over to Ash’s side.

With so many pairs of eyes focused on him, Ash didn’t blame the other for feeling uncomfortable. Unconsciously, Ash reached for Eiji’s hand, partly to get his attention but also to calm the other.

“We’re planning to retake Izumo,” Ash informed, jade eyes looking directly into dark eyes. “The tree house that we were at may be a good place to send a scout. Can you show us where it is on the map?”

Eiji listened carefully to Ash as he said that. With a light squeeze of Ash’s hand, Eiji nodded firmly before turning to the table. Their hands disconnected as Eiji studied the map and pointed to a point in the forest just outside Izumo.

“This was where we were,” Eiji informed. “It’s probably the best place if you want to keep an eye on the roads, but the trees here are quite dense,” he circled a rough area between the location of the tree house and Izumo. “So it’s hard to see into town. The one in the south is probably the best one for watching the town,” Eiji pointed to another spot on the map. “This one is the oldest we have but you can see the southern and western gate quite clearly. It has an extension to another tree where the eastern gate is just about in view.”

Hearing about this secondary tree house, the commanders seemed interested.

Ash stood quietly beside Eiji as he engaged with the discussion. He informed everyone that there were four tree houses around Izumo in total, each with their own observational function. The one in the northwest was best for observing roads and trade route, the one in the southwest was for prey-spotting among hunters, the one in the south was for surveying the town, especially during times of construction, and the one in the southeast was a make-shift weather station.

While Eiji was busy explaining, Ash couldn’t help but feel oddly proud. It wasn’t because he was the one who came up with the idea to use the tree house or for involving Eiji in the meeting. The person he was proud of wasn’t himself, but Eiji. Watching the other speak so well and helping so much despite how nervous he was when he first arrived, Ash felt a swell in his chest.

Beside him, he felt a slight nudge against his arm and when he turned around, Shorter was there smirking at him with a raised eyebrow. Ash pulled a face at his best friend before nudging him back with his elbow.

The meeting concluded before long. With the locations of the tree houses being implemented into the plan, a formation was decided and the operation was due to take place in two days. After dismissing everyone, Ash turned away from the planning table for the first time in a while and noticed that Eiji was standing just a little further back.

“Eiji,” Ash said as he walked up to him. “Sorry for dragging you into this.”

“No no,” Eiji waved his hands in front of him. “I’m glad that I’m able to help. I mean, everyone’s doing this to retake my hometown, right? It’s the least I can do.”

“But you’re a civilian,” Ash reminded before immediately feeling bad. “Sorry, I’m the one who called you here in the first place.”

“No, I know you’re only thinking about my safety,” Eiji replied.

They shared a brief pause before Eiji spoke up again.

“So what do you plan to do now?”

“Now?” Ash wondered. “I’ll probably go back to Nii-san and tell him the plan and then…”

“And then?” Eiji prompted.

“I don’t know,” Ash shrugged, jade eyes drifting over to Eiji who looked innocently back at him. A thought crossed his mind and he felt his cheeks warm up at the idea. Turning his head to look away, Ash scratched his cheek lightly before muttering. “You said you haven’t been to a city before, right?”

“Yeah?”

“Do you… Do you want me to show you around?” Ash asked shyly, looking at everything but Eiji.

But he was met with silence. Ash wondered whether he said something wrong so he dared to look at the other. What he saw was a partly surprised, partly excited expression.

“You’d do that? You wouldn’t mind?” Eiji asked, eyes glistening.

“Y-Yeah,” Ash stuttered. “I don’t mind.”

“Then, yes,” Eiji smiled brightly. “I’d love to see the city.”

Not knowing how to respond to the other’s enthusiasm, Ash just gave Eiji a firm nod before turning around. He was about to walk in the direction of the clinic when he noticed Shorter talking to a few other soldiers.

“Shorter,” Ash called out to the other as he approached him.

“Hmm?” Shorter hummed as he turned over his shoulder. “What’s up, Ash?”

“Just wondering whether you’ll be using your bike,” Ash said.

“Not until tomorrow,” Shorter replied. “Why? Do you need it?”

“Yeah, I want to give Eiji a ride around the centre.” Ash explained with a jab of his thumb in Eiji’s direction.

Shorter looked between the two for a moment before making an interested sound. “Is that so.”

“What are you thinking about?” Ash scowled at him.

“Nothing, nothing.” Shorter raised his hands in a placating gesture.

Ash didn’t quite believe him when some keys were tossed at him.

“You better look after her, alright?” Shorter warned. “If I see a scratch on her when you come back, you’re done for.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Ash waved at his overly-protective-of-his-bike best friend before walking away. “Come on, Eiji.”

After a small gesture, Eiji waved to Shorter and then followed after Ash.

Securing their helmets onto their heads, Ash started up his best friend’s red bike. Eiji climbed onto the vehicle, seeming to be already somewhat familiar with it.

“Hold on to me, okay?” Ash said as he made himself comfortable.

“Okay,” Eiji replied, voice a little muffled by the helmet.

Arms wound their way around Ash’s middle. The action caught Ash off guard for a moment even though he was the one who said it. Normally, he was the one holding onto Shorter or riding alone so it was a slight change, a pleasant change.

“Ready?” Ash asked, revving up the engine.

He wasn’t sure whether Eiji replied or not but he got his answer when the other tightened his hold on Ash and their bodies were pressed closer together. Despite the feeling of Eiji’s body heat against his back, a shiver still crept up Ash’s spine. Taking a moment to breathe in and out, Ash composed himself before kicking off the ground. Not only was he borrowing Shorter’s bike, Eiji’s safety was also in his hands, Ash refused to lose focus.

Riding back to the clinic was simple. After parking the bike outside, Ash and Eiji made their way inside. Taking the helmets with them, Ash found himself fiddling with the gear while reciting to his brother what was discussed at the meeting. Even though his hands were preoccupied with trying to activate the built in communication system in the helmets, Ash was able to answer all Griffin’s question without much thought.

“Did you say the operation starts in two days?” Griffin asked.

“Yeah,” Ash confirmed as he switched both devices on before checking them.

“Any plans before then?”

Ash hummed absently. “I’m going to show Eiji around the city and then I’ll see if I can meet up with Alex and the gang.”

Griffin made an interested noise. It sounded awfully similar to Shorter’s, making Ash look up at his brother with a furrow in his brow. There was a smirk on Griffin’s face and for some reason, it irritated Ash.

“What?”

“Nothing,” Griffin denied. It was exactly the same as how Shorter reacted as well.

Sighing out of his nose, Ash went back to looking at the helmet when his brother spoke up again.

“What about seeing dad?”

Ash’s hands stopped what they were doing. Slowly, he looked up at Griffin who was leaning over his bedside table to pull out something from the drawer. It was the old family photo and photo album that they picked up from the remains of their house back in Cape Cod.

“Why don’t you bring these to him?” Griffin suggested softly.

However Ash felt a twitch in his eyebrow and a rush of irritation. “Why should I?”

“Aslan…”

Before Griffin got a chance to say anymore, Ash abruptly got up. “Nii-san, you should rest.” He said, already making his way towards the door. “Let’s go, Eiji.”

“O-Oh, right.” Eiji hurried after him.

After getting outside, Ash let out a sigh. His mood dropped heavily after the mention of his father and he wasn’t sure whether he wanted to show Eiji around the city anymore.

“Ash?” Eiji spoke softly, a hand lightly brushing over Ash’s to earn his attention. “Are you alright?”

The worried expression on Eiji’s face twisted something in Ash’s stomach and he felt guilty for being the cause of such sadness in his eyes.

Offering a small smile, Ash shrugged. “I’ll be fine. Anyway, let’s put these on.” Ash said, handing Eiji his helmet.

After putting it on, Ash checked the communication device between their helmets. “Eiji, can you hear me?”

“Ah!” Eiji exclaimed, visibly startling the moment Ash spoke.

“What?” Ash worried. “Is it too loud?”

“N-No…” Eiji replied. Their eyes briefly met through their respective visors before Eiji turned away. “It’s just… suddenly hearing your voice in my ear is a little…”

Ash didn’t know how to feel about that comment. Turning away as well, Ash threw his leg over the bike. “Jeez, what’s that supposed to mean…” He muttered, feeling embarrassment creep up his cheeks.

A small nervous laugh left Eiji as he climbed onto the bike as well, his arms looping around Ash’s waist like last time. “Sorry, I didn’t mean anything weird by that.”

Waving absently, Ash dismissed the awkward air between them. “Anyway, we’ll get going if you’re ready.”

“Yeah, I’m ready.”

“Alright,” Ash replied as he revved the engine of the bike. A route was drawn on his mental map of the city before kicking off the ground.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shorter and Griffin definitely know what’s up XD Anyway, I hope you enjoyed that!! We’ll be getting a little date with Ash and Eiji next time and as briefly mentioned, Ash’s gang/friends will be making an appearance soon. Thank you for reading – See you next time!!


	9. New Fortress of York 1/3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A small detour to the military school before they make their way into New Fort.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back!! There’s not much to say about this chapter just that we get a bit of everything, such as: relationship development, some feels, New York (ahem, I mean, New Fort*), and some characters you have probably been waiting for. So without further ado, please enjoy!!

Even though their conversations weren’t continuous, the momentary silences they shared between them were strangely comfortable. Having Eiji’s arms around his middle, accompanied by the pleasant warmth felt through his back, Ash found himself relaxing in the other’s presence. The brief conversation he had with his brother earlier faded deep into the back of his mind as he enjoyed the leisurely ride through the old part of the city.

“This place is really pretty,” Eiji commented absently as they drove past a cathedral. “It’s a lot different to how I imagined.”

“How so?”

“Well, you said that the city has a lot of cars and people but there hasn’t been that many.” Eiji replied.

“Oh,” Ash realised the other’s mistake. “We’re still in Old Fort, y’know.”

“Eh? We are?” Eiji sounded surprised.

“Yeah, it’s still another half an hour before we see New Fort.”

“Really?”

Eiji’s genuine astonishment made Ash chuckle. “The area we came from was a part of Old Fort that got converted for military training activities. There aren’t many civilians unlike here. This area is the centre of Old Fort, I guess. Everything looks a bit more historical and traditional because this is where the Fortress of York began.”

Eiji hummed in interest. “Does that mean we went past the military school?”

“Military school?” Ash wondered why Eiji asked. “No, it’s on the border between the two districts but if you…” Ash wondered for a moment. “Do you want to see it? We’ll have to take a detour if you do.”

“We’re in no rush, right?” Eiji asked, to which Ash shook his head. “Then, yeah. I’d like to see where you went to school.”

Hearing that, a smile pulled at Ash’s lips. “Sure.”

Making their way through the old city, Ash was enjoying the enthusiasm Eiji was showing towards everything he saw. He didn’t hesitate to point things out and ask about it, his curiosity barely contained. It made Ash wonder how the other would react when they entered New Fort.

But before then, Ash noticed a familiar glisten in the distance beyond the trees.

“Eiji,” Ash spoke up.

“Yeah?” Eiji peered around Ash’s shoulder to regard the other.

“Keep your eyes at our 1 o’clock.” Ash instructed. “Once we get out of the forest, you’ll see the border and New Fort.”

“O-Okay,” Eiji nodded.

And before long, they broke through the edge of the forest. The curtain of trees was removed, displaying a dazzling scene of a wide river that marked the boundary between the Old Fort of York and the New Fort. Connected by a large bridge over water, Ash and Eiji looked out to the other side where modern skyscrapers reached towards the Heavens.

“Wow,” Eiji breathed as they joined onto the highway that ran adjacent to the river. “That’s New Fort?”

“Yeah,” Ash nodded. “That’s the New Fort of York.”

“It’s so different to this side.”

Ash chuckled lightly. “Yeah. Life in that part of the city is much more hectic too.”

“Did you used to live over there?” Eiji asked.

A hum left Ash. “Partly. I lived with my dad in New Fort for a few years but then I moved into dorms at military school. But my friends and I still hung out in the city centre.”

“I see,” Eiji nodded, gaze never leaving the city that stretched along the other side of the river.

It didn’t take them much longer before they arrived at the military school grounds. A large area was fenced off due to security so they could only go around the outside.

Parking Shorter’s bike up against a tree, Ash let Eiji off. Taking off their helmets, Ash gave his limbs a good stretch before walking up to the fence to watch the students training. One group was at the shooting range while another was running laps around the athletics track. Seeing them brought back memories of harsh training. It made Ash shiver just remembering. Yet the time spent with his friends was fond. A small smile found its way to Ash’s lips.

Turning to regard Eiji, he saw that the other was already looking at him. The expression he wore was a soft smile and Ash wondered what type of look he had while reminiscing his school days.

Thankfully, a shout from an instructor on the training grounds pulled Eiji’s attention away. “Ready!”

Ash let out a breath before turning to regard the exercise taking place.

The soldiers lined up at the shooting range took aim at their respective targets before the instructor ordered, “Fire!”

A burst of shots were fired, the sound rolling towards Ash and Eiji before echoing in the distance.

“Is it hard?” Eiji asked suddenly.

“Huh?” Ash looked at the other, unsure what he was referring to.

“Firing a gun,” Eiji replied, turning to look at Ash. “Is it hard to pull the trigger?”

“Not really,” Ash shrugged. “When the enemy is right in front of you and it’s either kill or be killed, instinct pulls it for you.”

Dark eyes studied Ash for a moment longer before he looked back to the training grounds. There was sadness in Eiji’s eyes and Ash didn’t know why. All he knew was that the expression didn’t suit Eiji.

Reaching a hand out, Ash hooked his fingers around Eiji’s to grab his attention.

“You don’t need to worry about those things.” Ash tried. “We’re soldiers. It’s our job to protect you.”

“Even so,” Eiji sighed, his shoulders slumping as he turned to face Ash, their fingers slowly intertwining. “Knowing that you’re out there fighting and risking your life, I… It makes me uneasy.”

A light squeeze was felt in his hand and Ash wasn’t sure how to respond.

“Sorry,” Eiji withdrew his hand with an apologetic smile. The expression tugged on Ash’s heartstrings and he unconsciously chased after Eiji’s hand. “I’m just being a bit selfish,” he laughed it off awkwardly before turning his back on Ash. “You can forget I said anything.”

But Ash didn’t want to forget. His thoughts and emotions were tangling into a mess and he grew increasingly desperate with every step Eiji took away from him. He had never felt like this before. Although he didn’t recognise the feeling, he could understand that it was different from how he felt when his brother or Max worried about him. Perhaps it was because Eiji wasn’t a soldier that the gap between them felt deeper even though they weren’t that far apart.

Recalling some of the other soldiers in the platoon who had wives and children, Ash remembered how their expressions were complicated whenever they spoke about them. The guilt they shouldered for making their loved ones worry…

Was that what Ash was feeling? Guilt?

Was he the one making Eiji feel this hopeless worry? Where Ash could leave for the frontline and never come back?

Suddenly imagining himself in the position of Eiji, Ash felt a sharp stab in his chest. Was caring about someone always this painful? Ash only had a small circle of people he genuinely cared about, and perhaps his case was special where all these people were always close by. Caring for someone from a distance was new, and the thought chilled his bones.

His body moved without thinking and Ash chased after Eiji’s retreating figure. His arms reached out around the other’s shoulders before embracing Eiji from behind.

“Ash?!”

The action made the other startle but Ash held onto him tightly, his head buried into the other’s shoulder.

“Wait for me,” Ash said, his emotions running wild. “I’ll defeat the Pumpkin King and I’ll come back. I promise!”

A light pressure was felt against the side of Ash’s head as Eiji leant on him. The other’s hands found their way to Ash’s and their fingers threaded together across Eiji’s chest. The gesture was small but it was all Ash needed to know how the other felt.

“I’ll hold you to it.” Eiji replied, before prying open Ash’s arms and turning around.

With his gaze downcasted, jade eyes focused on their hands that were still joined between them. Ash wasn’t sure how to face Eiji, the words he had uttered catching up to him and making him feel too embarrassed to look up.

But it didn’t seem like he needed to when Eiji leant his forehead against Ash’s before gently knocking it upwards so that their eyes were level.

Those dark eyes held so many words that Ash didn’t know where to start reading. His gaze began to lower and he found himself staring at the other’s lips. Unconsciously, he began to lean forward. It had been a long time since he last felt an urge to kiss someone and the temptation this time was strong. But when he realised what he was doing, Ash managed to stop himself.

Pulling away, he slowly untangled their fingers and looked out over the river to the city. Ash didn’t even realise that the sun was already so low in the sky.

“We should get going,” he suggested. “There’s still all of New Fort to see.”

Riding across the bridge in silence, Ash was deep in thought. He still wasn’t entirely sure whether pulling away at that time was a good idea. A part of him felt like he had lost a chance but the rational side was glad he didn’t kiss Eiji. They had only met the previous day. What they had was only just reaching the point of friendship. It was probably too early for them to cross any further relationship lines. At least, that was what Ash thought.

In that moment, a rather strong gust of wind rushed at them from the side, making the bike sway at the impact. Reacting quickly, Ash readjusted the bike to maintain balance.

“Are you alright?” Ash asked.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Eiji replied, arms still wrapped securely around Ash’s middle.

This small exchange made Ash realise two things. One was that the distance between their bodies felt closer than before but that was probably his imagination so he brushed it aside. Second was that they hadn’t spoken since getting back on the bike. A small pang of guilt made itself known in his chest as he mentally scolded himself. He was supposed to take Eiji out and show him around the city. What was the point if he was deeply lost in thought just because of a near-kiss.

He let out a sigh before looking ahead. The end of the bridge wasn’t far away and once they crossed over to New Fort, Ash should have plenty to talk about. He was back on his home turf, after all.

“That’s the national history museum,” Ash pointed out as they were slowly weaving through the traffic of the city centre. “And on the other side is Central Park.”

“Ah, slow down!” Eiji complained. “You’re telling me too many things at once and I barely get a chance to see them!”

“You’re lucky that we’re even moving,” Ash retorted. “If we came in a normal car, we’d be stuck the moment we got off the bridge.”

“But because we have this freedom, shouldn’t you slow down and let me see things?!” Eiji argued, squeezing Ash tightly around the middle.

“E-Eiji!” Ash gasped for breath. Stopping between two cars, one foot on the ground to hold them and the bike up, Ash slapped Eiji’s arm in an attempt to let him go. “Stop it! It’s dangerous!”

Wrestling with each other in the middle of the road with cars either side of them, Ash eventually surrendered when they nearly toppled over and some angry drivers blared their horns at them.

After giving Eiji a rough driving tour of the main sites, Ash rode into a private garage. He took out some keys that he hadn’t used in a year, rolled Shorter’s bike inside before securing it and locking up the garage.

“Is this your dad’s place?” Eiji asked as he looked around.

“No, just a hangout of sorts.” Ash replied as he typed out a message on his phone. After pressing send, he pocketed his device and gestured to Eiji. “Let’s go.”

Even when riding through the city, nostalgia was hitting Ash quite hard. Nothing had changed much in the year he had been away and he could still remember everything so clearly. At different places dotted around the city, Ash could recall the conversations he had with specific people. It felt like he had been gone for a long time but it also felt as if he were only there yesterday.

Walking beside Eiji as the other looked around with sparkling eyes, Ash couldn’t help but smile.

“I wish I brought my camera.” Eiji commented absently.

“Don’t you have your phone?”

“I do,” Eiji replied, pulling out his device. “But I unplugged it when Shorter came and got me earlier so it’s not fully charged.”

Jade eyes drifted up to the number beside the battery and noticed how it displayed a weak 17%. Not wanting to risk Eiji’s phone dying and having to face a very worried Ibe afterwards, Ash offered his phone.

“You can use mine for now,” Ash said. “I can just send them to you later.”

“You don’t mind?” Eiji asked brightly, his hand hesitating.

“I don’t mind,” Ash replied, handing his phone over.

Eiji took it carefully into his hands with a nod before accessing the device’s camera. Ash didn’t know why he assumed Eiji to be an enthusiastic type of phone user, one who would take several photos of everything and anything, but when he watched as the other carefully looked at his surroundings before finding the right angle to snap one photo which he then assessed with seriousness afterwards, Ash was pleasantly surprised. In fact, it was oddly interesting watching Eiji look so focused.

Working their way around to the public library, Ash was quietly enjoying Eiji’s company and his photography skills when messages bombarded Ash’s phone.

“O-Oh!” Eiji exclaimed as the device vibrated wildly in his palms.

“What the hell?!” Rushing over to Eiji, Ash swiped up his phone to see that he was receiving dozens upon dozens of messages in quick succession. “Those guys…!”

Quickly scrolling through his contacts, Ash put his phone to his ear after pressing the call button. It didn’t even take a single full ring before the other person picked up.

“Boss!”

“For god’s sake, Alex! The hell is up with the messages?!” Ash shouted into his phone.

“S-Sorry,” Alex apologised. “It’s just that when everyone saw your message they-”

“Alex, is that Ash?!”

“Boss!”

Ash heard familiar voices shout in the background followed by Alex trying to control everyone. Normally, Ash would feel happy to hear everyone again but for some reason, he felt slightly irritated. He pinched the bridge of his nose as he sighed.

“Really sorry, Ash.” Alex apologised again. “They just want to see you. It’s been a year, after all.”

Ash sighed, jade eyes looking over at Eiji who tilted his head questioningly. “I’m only here for two days, and I’m with someone so…”

“You can bring him along too!” Bones suggested excitedly from the background. “We’re planning on eating out for dinner so why don’t you join us?”

Ash looked at Eiji again and considered the offer. It’s true that it would be nice to see everyone again but would it be an appropriate environment for Eiji. “I’ll… ask.” Ash replied as he lowered his phone to face Eiji.

“My friends… Uhh, asked me out for dinner so,” Ash ruffled the back of his head, not sure why he was feeling so awkward. “Do you mind… Or, would you like to come with us?”

“If you don’t mind me tagging along,” Eiji replied with a small smile.

“They won’t mind,” Ash nodded before putting his phone back to his ear. “Alright, we’ll join you.”

There was a cheer in the background before Alex relayed the time and place for dinner. They hung up before long and Ash led the way to the restaurant.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gosh, the first bit turned out a bit more emotional than expected ;_; But Ash and Eiji go their cute atmosphere back and guess what? Next chapter will be Ash and Eiji with the gang!! Woooooo!! I’m looking forward to writing their interactions. Anyway, thank you for reading – I’ll update in two weeks!!


	10. New Fortress of York 2/3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ash meets up and has dinner with some old friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, and welcome back!! I hope everyone is well and taking care of themselves in this time of global pandemic crisis… It really hasn’t been easy these last few weeks/months and I really hope everyone is alright, and that the situation improves in some way or another soon… This chapter is quite fun, in the sense that it’s just Ash, Eiji and the gang being themselves and having a good time, so hopefully it’ll be a nice read for everyone. Please enjoy!!

“Table for two?” A waitress came and greeted them.

Ash shook his head. “We’ve got a room in the back.”

“I see. Please follow me,” she said, turning and directing them further into the restaurant.

Not even needing to be shown where his friends were, Ash could guess from the familiar voices chattering away down the corridor.

“Here you are,” the waitress said, stepping to the side.

With a small word of thanks, Ash opened the door. The group of people inside went silent instantly, all their heads turned to regard their visitor. There was a minor pause where everyone seemed to be processing who was at the door when recognition flashed across all their eyes.

“Ash!”

“Boss!”

The group exclaimed in unison, jumping to their feet to welcome Ash.

“Hey,” Ash couldn’t help the smile pulling at the lips. Despite being annoyed that they bombarded him with messages earlier, he couldn’t deny that he was happy to see all his friends again.

Exchanging a few greeting words and hugs, Ash was ushered further into the room, a seat was already prepared for him at the head of the table. But before he got swept along with the cheers and excitement, Ash remembered that he was with someone.

“Wait-” He didn’t get a chance to say it, however.

“Who’s this?” Someone asked, a thin tone of hostility in his voice.

Once again, the room went silent as everyone turned to the other person who entered the room. Compared to before, there was a thick layer of suspicion and uneasiness among the group. Although Ash wasn’t surprised by this reaction, he didn’t want Eiji to feel uncomfortable or unwelcomed when he was the one who invited him to join them for dinner.

“He’s with me.” Ash said firmly, jade eyes sweeping over his friends. The previous hostility dissipated instantly. All members backed off as Ash turned to Eiji with a hand out. “Eiji, come sit with me.”

“O-Okay,” Eiji replied.

Carefully, Eiji stepped into the room. The people around him parted the way as he walked forward. Taking Ash’s offered hand, he was led to the head of the table. With only one chair there, Ash sat Eiji down first.

“Is there a spare chair anywhere?”

It was like that question snapped everyone out of whatever daze they were in. Frantically looking around for a chair, Alex took one from the stack in the corner and handed it to Ash. It wasn’t until he sat down that everyone else returned to their seats. The atmosphere was still somewhat strained but once again, Ash’s words dispelled it.

“So,” Ash spoke up. “How has everyone been?”

Conversation sparked from that one question. The room was once again filled with lively chatter as food and drinks were passed around. At first, Ash kept an eye on Eiji to make sure that he wasn’t being left out or feeling uncomfortable but he soon realised that he worried for nothing. Eiji was fitting in quickly and rather well. Bones and Kong seemed to have taken a liking in him and were happily talking with Eiji. The sight of seeing him mingling with his friends from military school was a little odd but Ash found himself smiling at the scene.

“Ash,” Alex spoke up quietly from beside him. “Who is he?”

Ash hummed in thought as he took a sip of his drink. “He’s… a friend, I guess.” Ash decided to say. “Things got complicated during the evacuation and he ended up helping me out.”

“He helped you?” Alex seemed surprise.

“Yeah, something like that.” Ash replied with a shrug.

Jade eyes wandered over to see Eiji laughing with Bones. A smile pulled at his lips as he thought back to the time they first met at Izumo. How Ash’s opinion of the other changed so much in just a few days, he didn’t know. But from the previously ordinary boy he thought the other was, Ash was glad that he was wrong and that Eiji was someone special. He still couldn’t quite put his finger on it but being with Eiji was different from when he was with his brother or his friends. It was a feeling he had never felt before and he was reluctant to letting go of it.

“Anyway,” Ash spoke up before his thoughts drifted too far. “I don’t see Arthur around. What’s up with that?”

Something flashes across Alex’s face before he turned away slightly. “Arthur, he… He quit not long after you left.”

“He quit military school?” Ash asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Yeah, he didn’t say why but we all think he got jealous that you were allowed to graduate early.”

“He’s such a child,” Ash huffed, taking a swig of his drink. “So, where is he now?”

“We don’t know,” Alex confessed. “He just up and disappeared. We haven’t been able to contact him and no-one has seen him around.”

Ash hummed again. “What’s he thinking? Haven’t we all dedicated years into becoming a soldier? Why’d he quit?”

“You know how he saw you as his biggest rival, right?”

“Whatever,” Ash replied with a dismissive wave before downing the rest of his drink. He put his empty glass on before saying, “Get me another!”

As conversations continued, more food and drinks were consumed. Ash didn’t realise how much he had missed this atmosphere. Even though the parties they occasionally had as a platoon were similar in terms of liveliness, it wasn’t the same as a gathering of friends at a restaurant, far away from the battlefield. It made Ash feel like the year he had served on the front lines didn’t happen and that he was still a student at military school, surrounded by people his own age.

Losing count of how many drinks he had had, Ash felt fatigue weighing down on his eye lids. He wasn’t sure when they had passed the peak of the party but looking around, he noticed how his friends had reached varying levels of drunkenness.

“Alright, I think it’s time we get going,” one person spoke up after checking his phone. He made a move to stand, wobbling a bit on his feet before picking up a friend who was passed out on the table. “It’s good to see you again, Boss.”

Half way through a sip, Ash didn’t bother to reply properly. He just gave his friend a light wave as he departed.

Not long after, one by one began to filter out. They all bid Ash a good night and wishes to meet again soon. In the end, not many of them remained.

Leaning back on his chair, Ash stared blankly up to the ceiling before raising his glass to his lips. He was about to take a sip when someone called him.

“Ash?” It was Eiji but for some reason, Ash didn’t react right away. “Hey, Ash!”

“What?” Ash turned slowly to the other, eyes half lidded and barely focused.

“What do you mean ‘what’?” Eiji huffed. “It’s already quite late and we have to get back to Old Fort.”

“You’re staying in Old Fort?” Bones asked, surprised.

“Why don’t you stay here for the night?” Kong suggested.

“No, we can’t possibly…” Eiji tried to decline.

“Ash has a room you can use.” Alex provided. “Plus, I think Ash is a bit drunk to drive you back.”

“Oi, Alex.” Ash warned. “Who are you calling drunk?”

Alex froze before looking away nervously.

Huffing, Ash raised his glass to his mouth again when Eiji interrupted. “Ash, that glass is empty.”

There were a few quiet gasps shared between the remaining people in the room. Slowly, Ash lowered his glass before looking at Eiji with a scowl. It took him a moment to process what the other said before Ash looked at the glass in his hand. It really was empty.

With a sigh, Ash put the glass back on the table before accidentally saying, “Get me another.” He had said that phrase several times that evening so it rolled off his tongue before he could even help himself.

“No,” Eiji argued, turning to face Ash fully with a frown. “You’re not having another.”

Even though Ash wanted to tell Eiji that he didn’t mean to say it and it was just a slip of tongue, no words came out of Ash’s mouth as his gaze was locked onto Eiji’s features. Dark eyes seemed darker than usual. A cute blush was settled against his cheeks. And for some reason, Ash thought Eiji looked really attractive. Jade eyes fell to the other’s lips for the second time that day and he had to mentally kick himself to snap out of it.

“I’m…” Ash started, dragging his gaze away from the other before standing up.

“Where are you going?” Eiji asked, slight desperation laced in his voice.

“Toilet!” Ash announced, the word sounding harsher than he intended but he didn’t waste any time in leaving the room.

Stopping by the bar to get a glass of water, Ash took a moment to compose himself in the washroom. Perhaps he did get too carried away with the drinking but he couldn’t deny that he had fun. Being with his friends again was refreshing and he didn’t realise how much he had missed it. Quietly, Ash wondered whether Eiji had had a good time too.

Returning to their room, Ash noticed various piles of money around the table. Collecting the notes and coins together, he returned to his seat and pulled out his own wallet.

“Someone call for our bill.” Ash said.

“Sure thing,” Bones was on his feet in an instant.

“How much do I pay?” Eiji asked, feeling around his pockets.

But before he got his wallet out, Ash stopped him. “No need, I’ll pay for you.”

“But-” Eiji tried to argue but Ash held up a hand and shook his head.

“It’s fine.”

A pout found its way to Eiji lips. “Well, if you insist.” He conceded. “I’ll go to the bathroom real quick then.”

Getting up, Ash gave him a lazy wave just as a waiter walked in with their total. Counting up the money left by the guys who had already gone, Ash, Alex, Bones and Kong covered the rest.

“Say, Boss,” Bones spoke up after making sure that they’ve covered the amount. “Is it true that you’ve only known each other for a few days?”

“Hmm? Yeah.” Ash replied, leaning back on his hands as they waited for Eiji to return.

“Really?” Alex asked in surprise. “You were never this approachable when we first met.”

“Eiji’s different though,” Ash replied but the three of them looked at him with suspicion.

“How so?”

Waving dismissively at them, Ash avoided the question. “It’s too complicated to explain.”

The others didn’t question any further but Ash didn’t miss how they exchanged curious looks between each other.

“Anyway,” Ash spoke up. “Isn’t he taking a little too long in the bathroom?”

“I’ll go get him,” Kong offered before leaving the room.

They didn’t even get a chance to share a word when heavy footsteps were heard running back into their room.

“Boss!”

Ash was on his feet in an instant. He feared what Kong was about to say.

“He’s not in the bathroom!”

_Eiji…!_

Dashing out the room, Ash ran towards the bathroom to double check himself. Eiji really wasn’t in there. Looking up and down the corridor, Ash thought of all the other places Eiji might have wandered off to but the restaurant wasn’t exactly big. What if someone abducted him? The thought sent a harsh shiver down Ash’s spine as panic began to fill him. If Eiji disappeared, what would he do? The thought terrified him. Fear caused the scene of his brother getting shot in the leg replay in his mind and it didn’t help his already worried mind. There was no way he could let anything happen to Eiji.

Having gone up and down the corridor, Ash went to check the bathroom again when he heard voices in the storeroom just around the corner.

“Come on, let’s just have a bit of fun.”

“Let go of me! I’m not interested!”

Something dangerous flared inside Ash as he heard the other’s voice. Viciously kicking down the door of the storeroom, it swung open with a crash. Inside the dark room, a middle age man had Eiji pinned against the wall with one hand gripping the other’s wrist.

“Ash!” Eiji looked up at Ash brightly but in that moment, he was too blind with rage to see it.

Marching up to the stranger, Ash gripped the arm that held Eiji’s wrist. “Who do you think you’re touching?” Ash threatened through gritted teeth. He tightened his hold on the other, forcing him to let go of Eiji.

The man laughed nervously. “What, you’re already taken? You should have said.”

With a forceful shove of the stranger, Ash quickly grabbed Eiji’s hand and turned on his heel. “Let’s go.”

The moment they left the storeroom, Ash raised his voice. “Alex, Bones, Kong, we’re leaving!”

“Did you find him?” A voice responded from further down the corridor but Ash didn’t get a chance nor did he want to reply as he hurriedly led Eiji out of the restaurant.

Walking at a relatively fast pace, Ash never once let go of Eiji’s hand. He wasn’t sure what the emotional turmoil going on inside his heart was about. He recognised relief but it was mixed with a strange twisting frustration.

“A-Ash,” Eiji spoke up from behind him. “I’m sorry. I… Are you angry?”

That question made Ash slow to a stop. He let the other’s hand go before turning around. He really couldn’t explain what he was feeling. From the panic and fear that clouded his mind when Eiji disappeared, the realisation that the other’s safety meant so much to him came crashing down. Reaching out, Ash pulled Eiji into his arms.

Ah, he finally understood. This must have been how Eiji felt when imagining Ash going out onto the front lines to fight the pumpkins. The distance, followed by the unknown of the other’s well-being, was truly terrifying.

“I’m not angry,” Ash said into the other’s shoulder. “I’m not angry,” he repeated, holding Eiji tighter in his arms.

Eiji returned the hug and stayed silent.

“Ash!”

Looking up at the call of his name, Ash saw that the other three were jogging up to them. As they approached, Ash and Eiji pulled away from each other.

“What happened?” Alex asked, looking between the two of them.

Fixing on a neutral expression, Ash answered. “Just some creepy guy getting too ahead of himself.”

“I bet you punched him good,” Bones cheered with a fist in the air.

“I didn’t,” Ash replied, turning on his heel and continuing down the street.

“Eh?” Bones made a questioning noise. “You didn’t?”

Ignoring him, Ash led the way to his apartment.

Waving good night to Alex, Bones and Kong, Ash entered his apartment. Switching the lights on to see that his place wasn’t much different to how he left it. Not even a tiny layer of dust on the furniture, Ash made a mental note to thank his friends who lived beside him.

“Sorry for intruding,” a quiet voice spoke up from behind.

Ash looked over his shoulder to see Eiji stepping into his apartment cautiously.

“Just leave your shoes here,” Ash said as he took off his own before closing the door and locking up. “Oh, and have you told Ibe-san that you’re spending the night here?”

Just as Eiji slipped his shoes off, he gave Ash a nod. “Yeah, when you went to the toilet.”

“Okay, good.” Ash said, absently putting his shoes onto the shoe rack before taking out his own phone. “I should probably tell my brother.”

Quickly typing out a message to Griffin, Ash gestured Eiji further inside.

“Feel free to use anything here,” Ash said. “You can take my bed for tonight and I’ll have the sofa.”

“I don’t mind sleeping on the sofa,” Eiji replied but Ash just shook his head.

“I wouldn’t want you getting a sore neck on it.”

But just as he said that, Eiji retorted. “And you won’t if you sleep on it?”

Ash couldn’t find the words to argue because truth be told, that sofa was old and uncomfortable to sit on after a few hours, let alone to sleep on for an entire night.

They shared a brief pause before Eiji offered, “Why not… share the bed?”

Blinking at the other for a moment, Ash slowly processed what he thought and wondered whether he had heard correctly. Share the bed? Him and Eiji? It would probably guarantee him a better night’s sleep than on the sofa. And seeing as how Eiji was the one who offered, it wasn’t wrong to assume that he didn’t mind, right?

Hesitant but tempted, Ash blamed the alcohol for agreeing so nonchalantly. “That works, I guess.”

It wasn’t until they had both changed and brushed their teeth and in bed that reality dawned on Ash. Eiji was right beside him, tucked under the same duvet and about to sleep.

Mentally scolding himself for freaking out, Ash tried his best to reason with himself. He and Eiji were just regular friends. During his military days, there had been several occasions where Ash and his friends slept in close proximity. This wasn’t anything new. Although, someone sleeping with him in his _own_ bed was new, it shouldn’t make much difference.

A sigh left his lips as jade eyes absently panned to the side to look at Eiji.

Dark hair was splayed out against his pillow. His shoulders rose and fell in sync with each soft breath that left through his slightly parted lips. Relaxed features gave off an even more innocent look to how Eiji appeared normally…

Ah! There was no way he’d be able to sleep like this!

Turning over so that Ash had his back to Eiji, he squeezed his eyes shut in an attempt to force himself to sleep. He didn’t know why his heart was beating so quickly. He didn’t know why he felt so fidgety. And he didn’t know why his emotions were running wild again.

Again!

Seriously, what type of power did Eiji have to stir Ash’s heart and mind into a mess? He was beginning to lose count of the amount of times Ash has found himself losing to Eiji when the other hadn’t even made a single move. It was like Eiji didn’t even need to lift a finger to make Ash internally combust.

Another sigh left Ash.

Really, whatever it was he felt towards Eiji was foreign and mysterious. It didn’t feel like a brotherly relationship he had with Griffin, or by extension, a brotherly-best friend relationship with Shorter. It wasn’t like what he had between his friends like Alex, Bones or Kong. And although it was vaguely similar to how he felt towards his very first crush, it wasn’t exactly the same.

Just what was Eiji to him? He was something more than a friend but not quite a best friend nor a crush. Was there an in-between? If there were then Ash didn’t know of it.

Perhaps all his thinking made his mind as tired as his body because it didn’t take long before his consciousness slipped and Ash fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahh, Eiji calling Ash out on the empty glass was probs my personal favourite of this chapter XD But tbh, the whole thing was good fun to write and it did put a smile on my face. I plan on keeping updates as regular as possible and depending on how much work I can get done (since I’m now working from home), I may be able to write some more but we shall see. In any case, updates will keep coming so hopefully, it’s something for you to look forward to – thank you for reading and see you next time!!


	11. New Fortress of York 3/3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ash and Eiji make their way back to Old Fort.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, sorry for the slight delay. I hope everyone is as well as they can be during these times. This chapter is just rounding off Ash and Eiji’s little date to New Fort, and there’s also some character background for both of them (and some feels). So I hope you enjoy!!

Snuggling into the warm pillow he was hugging, Ash breathed in a scent he wasn’t entirely familiar with. Although it was foreign, it wasn’t unpleasant. In fact, Ash would describe it as relaxing or soothing. But as his mind began to slowly wake up and register other things about this supposed pillow he was snuggling into, such as the regular movement of rising and falling, and the beating underneath the warm surface, jade eyes blinked slowly open in confusion. Ash was pretty sure those movements were that of breathing and a beating heart but when and why did his pillow suddenly come alive?

Unless it wasn’t a pillow.

Slowly, Ash looked up with quiet dread. A part of him knew what to expect but he didn’t want to believe it.

Not even an inch away was Eiji’s sleeping face. His features were exactly the same as it was the previous night, relaxed brows, slightly parted lips, soft breaths. It made Ash’s heart skip a beat. A warm blush dusted his cheeks as he grew more and more embarrassed just by looking at the other.

Wanting to pry himself away, Ash noticed two things. Firstly, Eiji was lying on one of his arms. How did it end up underneath Eiji, Ash had no idea but the problem was that it was incredibly numb so pulling it out wasn’t going to be easy. Secondly, their legs along with the duvet were tangled messily together. Ash couldn’t see him worming himself out without waking the other up.

Even so, Ash knew that he wouldn’t be able to stay calm if he didn’t move. So with great effort, Ash began to carefully detach himself from Eiji. It wasn’t the easiest task but freedom was slowly being acquired.

Just as he pulled his upper arm out from beneath Eiji, Ash felt a shiver run down his spine as the top of the duvet fell from his shoulders. Hissing at the chill, Ash scowled at the loss of warmth when he noticed one more thing…

“Uwah!” Ash exclaimed in surprise, violently pulling out his arm from underneath Eiji.

Startling awake, dark eyes snapped widely open but Ash didn’t have time to feel guilty about waking Eiji up when… When Ash…

Ash wasn’t wearing a top!

Why was he topless?! And to make matters worse, why was he sleeping like that when Eiji was in bed with him.

Jade eyes were wide and filled with panic. Lifting the duvet up, Ash double checked that he was wearing pants. Yes, he was. And then looking at Eiji, the other was also wearing pants. In fact, he was still fully dressed.

So, did that mean nothing happened?

Ash felt his shoulders slump in relief.

It didn’t look like they did anything, Ash hoped anyway.

“Ash?” Eiji asked, rubbing his eyes tiredly of sleep.

Only then did the guilt of startling the other awake hit Ash. “S-Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you.”

But Eiji just shook his head lightly. “Are you alright?”

“Y-Yeah,” Ash cleared his throat quietly. “Why am I… Why am I not wearing a top?”

“Huh?” Eiji raised an eyebrow. “That’s because you took it off in the middle of the night, saying that it was too hot.”

“I said that?” Ash asked, not able to recall that at all.

“Yeah,” Eiji nodded. “You fell asleep immediately afterwards too.”

Breathing out in relief, Ash flopped back onto the bed. He was so glad that nothing happened. Even though he was drunk last night, he didn’t think he was so drunk to make a move on Eiji. He wouldn’t know how to face the other if he had actually done something.

Lying back down as well, Eiji pulled the duvet up to cover Ash’s shoulders.

“You’re going to get cold,” he said.

For a moment, Ash thought he saw his brother in Eiji. Actually, now that he thought about it, there was an odd similarity between the two. At least, even the action of tucking Ash under the duvet and lightly scolding him was the same. It made Ash want to act a little spoilt.

But then, a hand gently carded through his blond hair. This was something only Griffin did but here Eiji was, doing the exact same thing as if it were natural. Ash couldn’t help but glance up at the other to make sure that it was actually Eiji and not his brother.

“Your hair is actually really soft,” Eiji said, as if talking to Ash’s hair and not actually to him.

A huff of a laugh left Ash at the random comment as he made himself comfortable in the crook of his elbow, letting Eiji continue playing with his hair. “What were you expecting?”

Eiji hummed in thought as he twirled a few strands between his fingers. “I’m not too sure really.”

They shared a comfortable pause, Ash slowly drifting off again, when a soft huff of a laugh was heard from Eiji.

“What are you laughing at?” Ash asked, jade eyes blinking open to look up at the other.

“Just remembering what your friends told me yesterday,” Eiji replied with a smile.

This piqued Ash’s interest.

Pushing himself up onto his elbows, Ash faced Eiji as the other withdrew his hand. “What did they tell you?”

“A lot of things,” Eiji smirked. “But the main one being that you’ve changed. ‘Mellowed out’ was the exact wording.”

“Mellowed?!” Ash raised an eyebrow. “They make me sound like some old man.”

Eiji couldn’t help but chuckle. “Well, from what I heard, it sounded like you used to get into fights quite often.”

“That was because people picked fights with me,” Ash corrected. “I was the victim. And I just fought back in self-defence.”

“They kept picking fights with you even though you supposedly wiped the floor with them every time?” Eiji asked.

“Not supposedly,” Ash corrected again. “I _did_ wipe the floor with them every time.”

“I expect nothing less from a boss of a gang.”

“Don’t call it a gang,” Ash huffed. “It makes me sound like a trouble-maker.”

“I don’t think you’re in any position to say that you’re not.”

“Hey,” Ash pouted. “I’m a responsible soldier now. All that stuff is in the past,” Ash waved dismissively.

But Eiji only laughed in response. “I think this is why the guys said that you’ve mellowed out.”

Now that Eiji pointed it out, perhaps they were right. During his military school days, Ash was ranked highest in terms of studies and combat. With a large group of friends who respected him, creating the image of a gang leader among other students. It wasn’t surprising to see that there were those who were jealous and picked fights with Ash out of spite.

“But I was surprised to find out that you were really smart at school,” Eiji continued.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Ash frowned at Eiji.

The other held up his hands in a placating gesture. “Just, I don’t know… it was surprising.”

“Did you think I was a dumbass or something?” Ash scowled further.

“No…” Eiji replied through a twitch in the corner of his mouth. “Just that maybe you were an average student… Or an above average student… Not a top student.”

A sigh left Ash as he muttered. “If I didn’t have good grades, even with the commander’s recommendation, I still probably wouldn’t have been able to graduate military school early.”

“You really love your brother, huh?”

Even though it was just an absent comment, it made Ash feel embarrassed.

Turning away from Eiji, Ash pouted. “Stop.”

Eiji chuckled behind a hand. “Sorry, sorry.”

Pushing himself up from the bed, Ash pulled his arms over his head before yawning. After a satisfying stretch, Ash rolled off the bed. “Let’s get changed. We need to get back to Old Fort.”

“Okay,” Eiji nodded.

After showering and Ash providing some clothes for them to change into, they went to Bones and Kong’s room for some food. They were happy to share at first but when Ash ate their last pudding, Bones began to rant about how he was saving it for the end of the week because he had an exam and that the pudding was a reward for him. Not wanting to hear about it however, Ash left them some money as thanks before gesturing Eiji out.

Bidding farewell to his friends, not knowing when they might see each other again, Ash returned to his apartment to make sure that everything was put away and locked up. Just as he was pocketing his keys, Eiji spoke up from beside him.

“So, everyone lives down this corridor?”

“Yeah,” Ash nodded. “All the rooms on this floor have all been bought out by us.”

“Wow,” Eiji sounded impressed. “It’s like a whole hideout.”

A huff of a laugh left Ash as he gestured them to leave. “I guess you can say that. We would spend our weekends and holidays here.”

“How did you get all the money though?”

“We worked,” Ash replied simply. “We all got ourselves a part-time job or two and chipped in.”

“That’s some teamwork,” Eiji smiled.

“Yeah,” Ash nodded, a smile appearing on his face too as he thought back to the time where they frantically worked while juggling studies which ended up mostly being Ash teaching them the syllabus because they didn’t pay attention in class.

“So then you…” But Eiji trailed off.

Having just put his keys into the door leading to the garage, Ash turned to Eiji with a raised eyebrow. “Hmm?”

“You don’t go to your dad’s place during school holidays?” Eiji asked carefully, looking up at Ash through his bangs.

The question made Ash grip the handle of his key a little firmly. His lips pursed together.

Turning away to unlock the garage door, Ash let out a sigh. “I don’t.”

Even though the mention of father made him feel frustrated, he didn’t take it out on Eiji. The truth was, Ash didn’t think he could get angry at Eiji. Plus, the other was only asking out of curiosity.

Opening the garage door, Ash decided to continue. “I already mentioned that my brother raised me, right?”

Eiji nodded.

“It was because my dad was too busy playing around with women,” Ash said bluntly. “Nii-san and I don’t share the same mother for that reason.”

“O-Oh…” Eiji muttered.

“Forcing all his responsibilities onto Griffin,” Ash seethed between his teeth. “Not even bothering to change one bit after moving here to New Fort.”

Snapping himself out of his rage, Ash turned to see that Eiji wore a slightly depressed expression. Feeling guilty, he quickly handed Eiji his helmet and told him to get on the bike.

After riding out of the garage, Ash spoke up again. “But according to Nii-san, he’s apparently settled down with a woman.”

“You’ve never met her before?” Eiji asked in response.

“No,” Ash shook his head. “She came along after I moved into school dorms. I haven’t seen that old man since then.”

“Is that so,” Eiji replied absently, holding onto Ash’s middle a little tighter. “Do you hate him?”

“Not really,” Ash admitted with a shrug. “I don’t feel any real connection with him.”

Eiji made an absent sound in response to that before silence fell between them. Unlike the previous conversations where the silence was comfortable, this one felt a little weighted. Ash wondered whether he messed up and made Eiji depressed again. Worry gnawed uncomfortably at Ash so he decided to pull over and check on Eiji.

“Eiji,” Ash pulled off his helmet to look at the other. “What’s wro-?”

But he didn’t need to finish his question when he saw through the other’s visor that there were tears quietly flowing. Panic filled Ash as he pulled off Eiji’s helmet. His hands cupped the other’s cheek as he ran a thumb over the tears running from his eyes.

“Eiji? What happened?” Ash worried. “Was it something I said?”

Both of Eiji’s hands reached up and covered the back of Ash’s. Tears continued to flow as dark eyes gazed downwards.

“I’m sorry,” Eiji apologised through a sniff. “It just upsets me that your relationship with your dad is so… torn.” He sniffled again. “A father and son shouldn’t be like that…”

It didn’t seem like the tears were subsiding no matter how many of them Ash wiped away. In the end, he couldn’t bear it any longer and pulled Eiji into his chest.

“I’m sorry,” Ash muttered into the other’s hair. “I didn’t mean to make you cry.”

Trying to stifle his sobs, Eiji gripped onto Ash’s top. Hearing the other cry was much more painful than Ash could imagine. But somewhere in his heart, he felt a strange tug towards the fact that there was someone who was able to genuinely shed tears for Ash.

When Eiji finally calmed down, Ash pulled away. With one hand, he cupped one of Eiji’s incredibly wet cheeks and lifted his head so that Ash could see how damp his usually large dark eyes were.

“Look at you,” a huff left Ash. “If we went back like this, everyone would think that I bullied you or something.”

A small smile pulled at Eiji’s lips and for some reason, Ash couldn’t bear to look at the other any longer.

Dropping his head onto Eiji’s shoulder, Ash said something unexpected. “Thank you.”

“Why…?” Eiji began to ask but decided to trail off.

Ash was grateful that Eiji didn’t ask because if he were honest, he wouldn’t have known what to say in order to explain why he wanted to thank the other.

Continuing their ride back to Old Fort, the silence between them was much lighter than before. It was peaceful, in fact. Crossing the bridge that connected the two districts, Ash and Eiji left New Fort.

“Say, Ash.” Eiji spoke up.

“Hmm?”

“Did I ever tell you about my father?”

The question made Ash raise his eyebrows. “Only that he fell ill and you worked to support your family rather than join the Resistance.”

Eiji replied with an affirmative sound before he went on. “My dad passed away half a year ago.”

Hearing that one sentence felt like Ash was punched in the gut. He had no idea yet he carelessly said such negative things about his own father in front of Eiji. Understanding why the conversation pushed Eiji to tears, Ash felt as if the amount of guilt accumulated that day increased once again.

“He had liver problems and well, he did his best to fight it.”

“I see,” Ash replied carefully. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

But Eiji only held onto his waist a little tighter. “Even though we were on good terms, there are still things that I wish I had said to him even now. I know our situations are different but I just think that maybe you can still talk to your dad. Perhaps there’s a chance you could patch things up… before it’s too late.”

Ash pondered Eiji’s words. It was true that Ash didn’t hate his father but the distance between them was so great that he was barely an acquaintance in his life. Was there really anything they could ‘patch up’ when there was nothing between them in the first place?

“I’m sorry for saying something so selfish,” Eiji apologised again.

“It’s not selfish,” Ash replied, understanding that Eiji was just trying to help but he wasn’t sure whether he was ready to do it. “I’ll… think about it.” He said in the end, unable to give Eiji a more concrete answer.

It seemed, however, that Eiji was satisfied that Ash would even consider it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, the unexpected feels… I hope you enjoyed that. This will tie in quite nicely to next chapter which wasn’t actually a part of the original plan but I felt like it was a good idea so I’ve included it. I plan to update next week to make up for the delay for this chapter but if I don’t manage it, then be sure that I’ll update in two weeks. Until then, stay safe, and I hope to see you then!!


	12. Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ash has dinner with Griffin, and two others.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back!! As mentioned last time, this chapter wasn’t a part of the original plan but I felt like it was an interesting scenario to explore and so I did, and my gosh, I thoroughly enjoyed writing this. Be prepared for some more feels – Please enjoy!!

The rest of the ride back to Old Fort was quiet. Ash wasn’t sure what to say to Eiji apart from regularly checking whether he was comfortable on the bike. They never got beyond a few exchanges before silence fell between them again.

Dropping Eiji off at the place he was staying with Ibe, Ash asked again whether he was alright. The other just offered him a small smile and nodded. It wasn’t convincing in the slightest but Ash felt too guilty to press the matter.

Bidding each other a good afternoon, Ash said that they would see each other again the next morning before he left for Izumo.

After returning Shorter’s bike, Ash went to help out with the preparations for the operation. He wanted to keep himself busy so that he wouldn’t think too hard about the mess of emotions in his heart. The atmosphere between the two of them was going so well until the trip into New Fort. Although there were moments where Ash felt like they were understanding each other a bit more and that he was finally getting closer to finding out what their relationship was, he went and made Eiji cry. It wasn’t his intention and even though he had already apologised, Ash felt immensely bad.

Evening came around much faster than he expected. Ash wouldn’t have even noticed had his brother not come to get him.

“Nii-san, shouldn’t you be resting?” Ash jogged up to his brother who was limping up to him with a crutch under an arm.

Griffin, however, dismissed his worries. “I got restless knowing that my comrades are leaving to fight tomorrow. You can’t blame me for wanting to check up on everyone, right?”

A small sigh left Ash. “At least use the wheelchair.”

His brother was a squad leader, after all. He probably felt a sense of responsibility to oversee his men’s work. But above all, with Griffin sitting this operation out due to his injury, he wouldn’t know who he might not see again.

“Have you had dinner yet?” Griffin asked.

Ash shook his head. “No, not yet.”

“Good,” his brother smiled. “There’s a place I want to go to. Do you mind accompanying me?”

“Of course, I don’t mind.” Ash replied, falling into step with his brother.

It was a good thing that the restaurant Griffin wanted to go to was in the food district just around the corner from their temporary apartment. Ash would have considered borrowing a vehicle and driving them if it were further away since Griffin wasn’t supposed to be moving around so much.

As they made their way past a few other food places, Ash wasn’t surprised to see that many customers were soldiers since it was so close to the military area of Old Fort. Griffin greeted a few individuals as they passed by and Ash only nodded politely at the others since he didn’t recognise anyone outside of his platoon.

“Here we are,” Griffin said with a smile before pushing open the door and making his way in.

Ash followed close behind, hearing his brother speak to the waiter and saying that they already had a table.

Not a moment later, a gentle female voice spoke up, followed by hurried footsteps. “Griffin, it’s so good to see you again!”

Peering around his brother’s back, Ash only caught a glimpse of a woman before she wrapped her arms around Griffin’s neck. The action was careful as if she was already aware of the other’s injury. Still, Ash couldn’t help but frown at this stranger who suddenly threw herself onto his brother.

“Jennifer, it’s good to see you too!” Griffin replied, returning the hug with one arm as the other held himself up on his crutch.

They pulled away after a moment and Ash finally got a proper look at the woman.

Light brown hair was clipped up, leaving her bangs hanging over her forehead and on either side of her face. Although she had ordinary looks, she gave off a very soft atmosphere. Equally soft eyes noticed Ash after she withdrew her arms and she smiled pleasantly at him.

“You must be Aslan,” she said.

But Ash still didn’t know who she was. His guard was still high as he didn’t react to her words.

She seemed to have sensed the pressure and she hesitated. Turning around, she asked someone further in the restaurant. “He is, isn’t he?”

The moment she turned to her side, Ash’s eyes widened. Even though there were several other people seated around the restaurant, Ash immediately knew who she was addressing.

Not too far away, an annoyingly familiar bearded man looked up from where he was sipping a glass of beer. Cold stoic eyes met jade and Ash felt his entire body bristle.

“I’m leaving!” Ash turned on his heels.

“Aslan!” Griffin called after him, catching his wrist before he made it out of the restaurant.

After the conversation he had with Eiji earlier that day, combined with the feeling of betrayal that his brother had planned to have dinner with that man of all people, Ash didn’t want to face him. He felt his blood boil but even though Griffin was gripping quite firmly onto his wrist, the pressure was calming him. It was as if his brother was silently telling him, “It’s alright. Trust me.”

Feeling the tension leave his shoulders, Ash slowly turned back around. Griffin was looking at him carefully while Jennifer looked very timid. His father, on the other, just continued to drink his beer as if he wasn’t involved. That made Ash’s eyebrow twitch. But with one look around the rest of the restaurant, Ash noticed how many pairs of eyes were directed his way. In the presence of so many soldiers, Ash knew better than to make a scene when he could potentially affect his brother’s reputation.

Quietly, he let Griffin lead him to the table.

While his brother was able to talk normally to their dad and Jennifer, Ash sat and ate dinner without a word. Even though the conversation turned to him or was about him, he still remained completely silent, not even looking up and making eye contact.

“How long will it take for your leg to heal?” Their father asked.

A hum left Griffin. “About a month.”

“Do you want to stay at our place?” Jennifer offered timidly. “Jim and I wouldn’t mind. We can provide you a room and take care of you.”

“There’s no need for that,” Griffin politely declined. “But thank you, Jennifer.”

“Once you’re able to stand, you’re going to run off and start fighting again anyway, right?” Jim huffed before taking a swig of his drink.

Ash didn’t like that attitude but Griffin laughed it off.

“Yeah, that’s the plan.” He replied. “I can’t just leave Aslan and my comrades to fight alone out there.”

“He’s on the front lines?” His father sounded surprised.

Ash could imagine the mocking smirk on the other’s face so he glanced up with a glare. However, he didn’t see even a hint of a grin on his father’s face. In fact, he was looking right at Ash with both eyebrows slightly raised, his expression mildly surprised.

Not expecting that, Ash quickly looked away.

“He is,” Griffin answered. “I told you that he’ll be with me the entire time.”

“I’m glad to see you haven’t changed, Griffin.”

Jade eyes widened at the tone. Ash had never heard his father speak in such a soft way. He actually sounded like a father for once.

Not sure whether he looked up out of curiosity or surprise, Ash’s gaze was directed to the other person across the table and once again, their eyes met.

It seemed like Jim was waiting for that and spoke up before Ash looked away.

“But you,” he started, Ash already preparing to snap at whatever his father was about to say. “You’re all grown up now.”

The tension in his body instantly vanished. His shoulders slumped after hearing those words. What was going on? Was this really the same old man who played around with women and neglected his sons?

Ash couldn’t find his voice. Even if he did, he wouldn’t know what to say. His father’s expression was uncharacteristically gentle even though it was as stoic as always. For some reason, it made Ash feel guilty.

“He’s been working hard,” Griffin commented from beside him with a smile. “The commander has no complaints about him, and he gets along well even though the soldiers are much older.”

“So you get along with old men, huh.” Jim huffed a laugh.

“Dad, you just indirectly called me old…” Griffin sulked, making his father laugh even harder. Jennifer also chuckled quietly behind a hand.

It was strange. It actually felt like they were a family.

“But it’s good that he gets along with everyone,” their father said. “I’d complain if he were picked on.”

Somehow, Ash felt like his father was subtly hinting to his military school life. But how was it that Jim knew about it? Ash didn’t speak about school once to his father and he had already moved into dorms when the fights escalated.

“Don’t worry, dad.” Griffin reassured. “He’s got good people around him.”

“That’s good,” Jim nodded firmly before getting up from his seat. “I’m going to get another beer. Griffin, would you like one?”

“No, I’ve had enough for tonight. Thank you.”

Ash watched his father quietly as he stepped away from the table and towards the bar counter to order another drink.

“Aslan,” Jennifer spoke up softly to get his attention. “It may be selfish for me to ask this but I’d like you to find it in your heart to forgive Jim.”

Ash looked at the woman carefully as she continued.

“He’s bad at expressing himself but I can tell that he’s really happy that you’re here tonight. He still regrets not raising you himself. And when you left home, he was really depressed. He does care a lot about you. Even when you were in school and the head instructor called him about your fights, he never once doubted you. He always replied with, ‘He knows what he’s doing’.”

Ash’s hands clenched under the table as he heard about this. He wasn’t sure how he should react or what type of expression he should have. All this time he thought that his father didn’t even see him, as if Ash were invisible, when in reality, it wasn’t like that at all.

Jade eyes panned across the room to where he father stood, leaning casually against the counter as he waited for his drink. The bartender was just walking his way with another beer and Jim reach behind him to pull out his wallet.

Abruptly standing from the table, Ash went to the counter. Just as the drink was handed over and Jim was about to pass over the money, Ash slapped a note in front of the waiter.

“I’ll pay for that,” Ash declared, looking over at his father who once again had raised eyebrows.

The bartender looked between them before Jim shrugged. “You heard the kid.”

Accepting the money, the bartender politely thanked them before they made their way back to the table. They didn’t share a single word even after they sat down and conversation continued like before.

The four of them together, it really did feel like they were family.

When their chatter finally slowed to a stop, the restaurant was already quite quiet. Even though Griffin offered to pay for their part, their father declined and said that he’ll cover the whole evening. Thanking him politely, the four of them made their way outside.

Shivering at the chilly evening air, Ash noticed how his breath came out as a faint wisp of steam. It didn’t feel particularly cold that day but now that he thought about it, they were reaching the end of autumn. It wasn’t surprising that the temperature was slowly dropping.

“The troops are leaving tomorrow, right?” Ash heard his father ask from behind him.

Turning around, he saw that Griffin nod in response. “That’s right.”

“And you’re leaving too?” Jim turned to Ash.

“Yeah,” Ash replied, also nodding.

“I see,” was all he said.

The air between them was still awkward but towards his father, Ash no longer felt any emptiness or anger. Even though they didn’t really talk, it felt like their relationship was less strained and somewhere along the lines of being repaired.

Then, while Ash was in his thoughts, his father stepped closer to him. Ash looked up just in time to see a pair of large arms reach out before wrapping around him. The action surprised Ash and his body went rigid. The warmth of his father enveloped him and something strong tugged at his chest. He felt his eyes well up as his father held him tightly.

“Stay safe.”

Even though they were only two words, Ash felt the heaviness behind them. He didn’t know what he was feeling but tears were forming in his eyes and he could barely control himself.

Gripping his father’s top, Ash lowered his head into the other’s shoulder and spoke through the lump in his throat. “I will.”

Jim pulled away after that and turned to Griffin to hug his other son. Ash kept his eyes on the ground so he didn’t see his father’s expression but if he were honest, he wasn’t sure whether he wanted to.

Desperately trying to hold his tears back, Ash hardly registered Jennifer hugging him. It wasn’t until they bid each other farewell, his father and Jennifer walking away, did Ash finally look up. Watching their retreating backs, Ash felt complicated and unsure of himself.

“Let’s go back,” Griffin suggested, wrapping an arm around his brother’s shoulders.

Silently following his brother back to their temporary apartment, Ash found himself unable to step foot inside the building. Griffin noticed and turned around with concern.

“Aslan?” He asked. “What’s wrong?”

Ash wasn’t sure how to answer his brother. His emotions were in a muddle again and he wanted to cry. But for some reason, he just couldn’t let the tears out. It wasn’t like he wasn’t comfortable enough around his brother but in that moment, there was someone else he wanted to cry to.

As if sensing this, Griffin asked another question. “Is there somewhere you’d like to go?”

Looking up, Ash felt a pang of guilt as he didn’t want his brother to misunderstand that it wasn’t his intention to push him away. But it seemed like he was worrying for nothing.

Griffin was as patient and understanding as always. There was no sign of anything negative on his face. In fact, his brother was smiling softly at Ash as if knowing the answer way before Ash even began to solve it.

“Stay with him tonight.” Griffin said as he stepped towards Ash. Why his brother knew that it was ‘him’ Ash was thinking of, he didn’t know, but Griffin wasn’t wrong. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Wrapping his arms around his younger brother, Griffin gave Ash a reassuring hug. It was warm and gentle, perfectly fitting of his brother’s character. Ash returned the hug, breathing in his brother’s scent and trying his best to hold in his tears.

“Good night, Nii-san.”

“Good night, Aslan.”

With that, Ash pulled away. One look at his brother to see that his soft smile still remained, Ash turned away and ran out the building.

He didn’t know why but his chest hurt. His father’s face, Jennifer’s words and Griffin’s smiles, they all flashed up in his mind as he dashed down the street. The cold air filled his lungs as it breezed past his skin, chilling the tears that were running down his cheeks.

Arriving at the building where some of the Izumo evacuees were staying, Ash made his way to one specific room. He didn’t know why he remembered it so clearly when the other only briefly mentioned it when he was being dropped off earlier that day.

Still, with his hair windswept, cheeks probably blushed from running and from the cold, his eyes damp and red, Ash still raised a hand and knocked on the door. He didn’t care what he looked like in that moment. All he wanted was to see Eiji.

“Coming,” the person on the other side of the door wasn’t him, but Ash recognised the voice and knew that he was in the right place.

The door opened, revealing Ibe.

“Ash?” He looked surprised. “What are you doing here?”

But before Ash had a chance to even answer, another voice came from further inside the apartment.

“Ibe-san, who’s…?” The question trailed off as the person came out from his room and into the hallway.

Jade made contact with dark eyes.

“Ash!” Eiji exclaimed, trotting up to the front door.

At the sight of the other, Ash felt the dams finally burst. The tears he had been holding in spilled out. The tracks that were previously dried were covered by new streams.

Meeting each other half way, Ash dived into the other’s arms and buried his face into the other’s shoulder.

“Eiji…” Ash muttered, crying like a child while the other rubbed small circles into his back.

After that, it all became a blur and the next thing Ash knew, he was lying on the other’s bed while hugging a pillow that had Eiji’s scent, trying to keep his tired eyes open. He wasn’t sure when they had moved into Eiji’s room. All he remembered was clinging onto Eiji for dear life while sobbing until he was emotionally exhausted. It was so embarrassing that Ash wasn’t sure how to face the other when he returned.

“Here,” Eiji offered as he came back to his room with a glass of water.

Ash took it with a small word of thanks before sipping at it.

Sitting down beside Ash, Eiji silently took a sip of his own drink.

“Aren’t you going to ask anything?” Ash couldn’t help but wonder. Surely anyone would be curious if another person came running up to them and then crying so pathetically.

But Eiji only lowered his glass and looked at Ash calmly. “You can tell me when you’re ready.”

Lowering his glass to his lap, Ash ran his thumb up and down the smooth surface with a soft smile. Really, Eiji reminded him of his brother. The patience the two of them had were unlike anyone else Ash knew and he wondered what he did to deserve them in his life.

Glancing up to Eiji, he saw that the other was absently staring out the window. His profile was outlined by the bedside lamps and Ash couldn’t help but think that the other was becoming more and more attractive every time they met.

After thinking over what to tell Eiji, Ash finished his water and put the glass on the bedside table. Turning to the other, Eiji seemed to have noticed and also turned to regard Ash.

“I…” He started. “Nii-san and I had dinner with our dad and his partner.”

“You did?” Eiji looked at Ash surprised. “How… How did it go?”

“I’m not sure,” Ash confessed. “It just felt a bit surreal?”

“How so?” Eiji asked carefully, not wanting to prompt to the point of prying.

However, just remembering the atmosphere made Ash want to cry again. Leaning forward, Ash dropped his head onto Eiji’s lap. Cushioning his forehead on his arms, Ash stifled his sobs. “It felt like… we were actually a family.”

“You are a family,” Eiji corrected, putting his glass down on the bedside table before resting a hand on top of blond hair.

It was such a simple sentence but hearing it like a confirmation was enough to set the waterworks off again. Feeling tears gather in his eyes before streaming down his face, Ash found himself crying even when he thought there were nothing else to shed.

The part of his heart that was specifically dedicated to family was originally filled with solely his brother. There was a small extension to Max which Ash would never admit. But in that moment, he felt like a new extension had opened and occupying that space was his father and Jennifer. His chest swelled at the thought and it made him feel so warm.

Ash wanted to thank Eiji for both the encouragement to fix his relationship with his father and for lending a shoulder for him to cry on, but when he opened his mouth to say it, the words that nearly slipped out weren’t those of gratitude.

_I love you._

Realisation hit Ash hard, silencing his sobs instantly.

“Ash?” Eiji must have noticed the sudden pause.

Slowly, Ash raised his head. Jade eyes were wide as the remaining ripples in his emotions smoothed out, leaving nothing but stillness. Did he just realise his feelings towards Eiji? Was it really as simple as love? No, Ash figured it must be something much deeper, much more complicated but he knew for a fact that love was definitely a part of it.

Raising a hand to cup Ash’s cheek before swiping his thumb over his tears, Eiji looked at him worriedly. “What’s wrong?”

No response came to mind so no words left his mouth.

Ash only knew that he needed some time to think about his newly discovered feelings before he accidentally said the wrong thing. Pressing his forehead to Eiji’s chest, Ash hid his face from the other’s sight, worried that his expression would give something away.

It didn’t seem like Eiji noticed, or if he did, he didn’t say anything. Wrapping his arms around Ash’s shoulders, he silently hugged him while leaning his head against blond hair.

They didn’t let go of each other even when they were in bed together. Unlike the previous evening where Ash was hesitant over sharing a sleeping space, he didn’t care that night. Being with Eiji felt natural and comforting. Even though his heart was still confused over his feelings, they were forced into a calm with Eiji by his side.

They only met two days ago yet the time spent with Eiji were probably one of the happiest moments of his life already.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gosh, the feels. I must admit, I teared up a little bit when I wrote this. And ahhh, let’s not forget their little relationship development, woooo!! I hope you enjoyed that. Next chapter will be the start of the next arc and we’ll be getting back into some action. Update to come in two weeks – thank you for reading, and I’ll see you then!!


	13. Preparation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Soldiers were being rounded up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m so VERY sorry! ;_; Ahh, I’m terrible. Even though I said I’d say when I might not update, I just poof without a word and disappear for a few months. I even had to reread up until this point to reconnect with the story and I’m the one writing it .>.< Goodness… Well, anyway, I’m at least back for now(?) Hopefully going to follow my schedule for once -_- and y’know keep up with the updates *sigh* Really, I’m sorry and I hope this chapter makes up for it.

Through the fog of sleep, Ash heard a distant knock on the door followed by a muffled but familiar voice.

“Ei-chan, are you awake?”

“I am,” a voice much closer replied. It was so close that Ash even felt the vibration through the person he was hugging.

“Breakfast is ready. I’ve made some for Ash as well.”

“Thank you, Ibe-san.”

Once the exchange was over, Ash snuggled further into Eiji’s warmth.

A light chuckle left the other. “Ash, it’s time to get up.”

Groaning in protest, Ash held onto Eiji tighter.

“Hey, let go!” Eiji complained, although he was also laughing.

Despite his protests, Ash wasn’t letting go.

With a bit of wrestling, Eiji finally managed to get away from Ash. Losing both his source of external warmth and substitute pillow, Ash laid on the bed with a pout.

“Come on, get up.” Eiji said as he stood in front of Ash with his hands planted firmly on his hip.

Turning his head away, Ash continued to pout as he refused to leave the bed.

A sigh left Eiji. “You-”

But whatever Eiji wanted to say was interrupted by the ringing of Ash’s phone.

Recognising the ringtone, Ash rolled to the bedside table, swiped up his phone and pressed the device to his ear. “Nii-san?”

“Good morning, Aslan.” His brother greeted from the other side of the phone.

“Morning, Nii-san.” Ash replied politely.

“Have you had breakfast yet?”

“Not yet. I will do soon though.”

“Don’t tell me you’re still in bed,” there was a hint of Griffin’s famous chilling smile.

“N-No…” Ash felt himself sweat.

A sinister hum left Griffin. “Hmm, is that so?”

Ash swallowed thickly as he felt a chill run down his spine.

“In any case,” Griffin continued. Ash felt like he could breathe again. “Squads will probably be rounded up soon so you better get there early so you’re under Max’s squad for the operation. You and Shorter both.”

“I thought that was already arranged.”

“It’s just in case,” Griffin explained. “You and Shorter are a special unit under my command but since I’m sitting this operation out and my squads being distributed to other teams, I can’t be certain that you two will be with a group from our platoon.”

It was true that many platoons were going to be involved in the retaking of Izumo. With Ash being a soldier who joined the platoon under special circumstances, it was safer for him to work with people he was familiar with. He may be an excellent soldier but having skipped the post-school training programme, Ash didn’t have any connections with military personnel outside of Jenkins’ platoon.

“I understand,” Ash replied, pushing himself up into a sitting position. “I’ll come back and get my stuff soon.”

“Good, I’ll meet you here.”

Hanging up, Ash put his phone back before getting off the bed. The moment he looked up, he saw that Eiji was looking at him with a raised eyebrow and a smirk.

“What?” Ash couldn’t help but ask as he got dressed.

“Nothing,” Eiji denied.

Ash had a feeling Eiji was up to something but he couldn’t dwell on it since he had to get ready to leave. With breakfast quickly eaten, Ash left to meet his brother. He suggested that Ibe and Eiji should meet up with Max first and then see each other off when preparations were complete.

“Nii-san, I’m back.” Ash announced as he entered the apartment.

“Welcome back,” his brother greeted, poking his head out of the bathroom with a face full of shaving cream. “I left your stuff on the sofa.”

“Oh, thank you.” Ash replied, trotting over to his belongings before equipping himself with his weapons.

Just as he pulled his jacket on, Griffin came out of the bathroom, freshly shaven and smiling.

“Ready to go?” He asked.

“Yeah!”

After insisting that his brother used the wheelchair, Griffin reluctantly sat down so that his brother could push him out to where the soldiers had gathered to prepare for the operation. Supplies were being diligently check over before loaded onto the trucks. One soldier Ash didn’t know came up to them and marked their attendance then shortly after he left, two soldiers approached them. These two, Ash recognised as members of Griffin’s squad.

“Squad leader!” They greeted. “Shouldn’t you be resting?”

“Don’t worry about me.” Griffin gave them a dismissive wave. “Are the preparations going well?”

“Yes, sir!” They saluted in unison.

“The commanders are just filling out the schedule. The first group is due to leave in the next hour.” Another informed.

Griffin made a surprised sound. “So soon?”

“Yes, sir. We haven’t received our orders yet but I can’t imagine we’d be very far behind.”

“I see,” Griffin replied, looking over at Ash before back at his men. “Good luck out there. I hope to see you back safe and sound.”

“Yes, sir!”

They left soon after. Griffin only had a chance to sigh a breath before his name was called from behind them.

“Griff! Ash!”

Turning around, Ash saw Max, Ibe and Eiji walk up to them.

“Shouldn’t you be resting?” Max asked when he got close.

“Why is everyone asking me the same question?” Griffin huffed a laugh.

“You’re injured,” Max stated the obvious. “You can’t blame us for worrying.”

“I’ll be fine,” Griffin dismissed. “I’m not the ones going out onto the battlefield. I should be the one worrying.”

Leaning down to loop a loose arm around his best friend, Max laughed. “Have some faith in us. We’re going to take back Izumo like we did with Cape Cod.”

“I’m sure you will,” Griffin smiled.

“So, are you all ready to go, Ash?” Max asked, looking up at the young man.

Shrugging, Ash replied. “Yeah, as ready as ever.”

“Ash!” Another voice called out.

Turning to regard who it was, Ash called back. “Shorter!”

His best friend trotted up to him with a wave. “Yo, nice to see you’ve finally joined us.”

“We still haven’t got orders to leave yet, have we?” Ash replied.

Shorter shook his head. “We’re the second group to leave. The commander will be rounding people up soon.”

“I see,” the weight of reality was finally hitting Ash. In less than an hour, Ash would be leaving the Fortress of York where his brother and Eiji would be staying.

“I’ll go make sure both you are under my command,” Max said as he hurried to confirm it with the commander.

Jade eyes looked up and saw that Eiji was looking at him, his expression was a mixture of worried and sad. It didn’t suit him. Ash wanted to say something to the other but he wasn’t sure what. Plus, with Shorter, Ibe and Griffin around them, it made it even harder for him to think.

But it didn’t seem like he had to think of anything when Eiji was the one who spoke up first.

“Ash, be careful out there.”

“I will,” Ash assured.

“If anything were to happen to you, I-”

But Eiji didn’t get a chance to finish when Max called out to them.

“Shorter, Ash!” He ran up to them, slightly out of breath. “They’re rounding everyone up now. We need to go.”

Just as those words were uttered, Eiji threw himself onto Ash. Surprised, Ash froze in place as Eiji wrapped his arms around his neck. It took him a moment before he was able to return the hug, his arms looping around the other’s waist.

“I’ll be waiting for you,” Eiji promised. “I’ll wait forever if I have to.”

Hearing those words, Ash tightened his hold on the other. How could he possibly let go after hearing that? It was too unfair.

“I’ll come back,” Ash muttered. “I promise, I’ll come back.”

They pulled away just enough to look at each other. Ash raised a hand up to cup Eiji’s cheek before pressing their foreheads together. Jade eyes were locked onto dark eyes and it felt like neither of them were willing to let each other go. Brushing his thumb over the Eiji’s cheekbone, Ash found his gaze drifting down to the other’s lips again. He couldn’t stop himself this time.

Sliding his hand under the other’s ear and around the back of his head, Ash’s fingers slipped under curly black hair before he pressed their lips together. A surprised sound left Eiji but it didn’t feel like he was going to pull away. It wasn’t like Eiji could anyway with how Ash was holding his head in place. But knowing that the other was accepting the kiss and returning it made Ash’s heart flutter.

Although a part of him wanted to deepen the kiss, the rational side of Ash reminded him that they were in a hurry. Pulling back, Ash let go of Eiji’s head and withdrew his other arm from around his waist. Eiji followed and retracted his arms.

Not even bothering to look at the other people around him, Ash turned quickly to his brother before reaching down and hugging him. Strangely enough, Griffin wasn’t at all dazed like the others were.

“I’ll be going now, Nii-san.”

“Take care of yourself.”

Their exchange was quick and short before Ash pulled away and sped right past Max and Shorter who were still in shock.

“H-Hey, Ash?!” Shorter called after him but by that time, Ash was already marching his way to the commander.

Ash could imagine that Max and Shorter were bidding some very quick goodbyes when he heard footsteps catching up behind him.

“A-Ash, what the heck was that?!” Shorter exclaimed. “I mean, I had a feeling you liked him but that was a bit bold, wasn’t it?”

“Wait, Shorter,” Max cut in. “What do you mean Ash liked him? When did this happen?”

“Ahh, enough already!” Ash complained, feeling his cheeks heat up in embarrassment. “Quit asking about it!”

Refusing to answer any of Max and Shorter’s prying, they reached the commander before long. The atmosphere around them instantly dropped, replaced by seriousness and focus. Everything that happened moments ago were pushed to the back of his mind as Ash cleared his thoughts, leaving only operation related information. After all, the retaking of Izumo was crucial in their overall mission in defeating the Pumpkin King.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed that! Griffin is such a good brother and yaaaay to the kiss, wooo!! Ahh, I’m gonna say it again and pray that I actually STICK with it >.< But update to come in two weeks. Thank you for reading, thank you for being patient with me, and I’m sorry for the wait!


	14. Reclamation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It’s time to take back Izumo.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My goodness, I’m on time for an update? And what’s more, this is one hell of a hefty chapter filled with action, woooo!! This was so much fun to write, you’ll understand when you read it. Please enjoy!!

Under the cover of night, keen jade eyes watched the pumpkins patrolling the top of the western wall. Four were stationed above the gates while the others were spaced out in pairs at regular intervals along the wall, shining torches into the dark forest and keeping constant look out for enemies. Hidden behind a tree, Ash double checked the silencer on his gun before hearing a crackle in his ear piece.

“Snipers are in position. We’re ready when you are.”

With a quiet exhale, Ash gripped his gun before raising it in front of him. He rehearsed the plan quickly through his mind before turning to the side to regard Shorter. Giving each other a firm nod, Ash watched as his best friend put a finger to his ear.

“This is Shorter. Ash and I are ready.”

“Roger that,” the sniper replied. “I’ll count you in.”

Shifting his weight between his feet, Ash raised his body just a little higher from his crouched position. The balls of his feet sank a little under the soft soil as jade eyes looked up to the four enemies who were marked. When the countdown hit, they would be the first to fall.

“3… 2… 1…!”

Kicking off, Ash and Shorter rushed towards the wall just as the dull thuds of bodies were heard. The snipers had already claimed their victims and not a single sound was heard.

Climbing the wall quickly, Ash and Shorter made it to the top. Shooting down the pair of pumpkins guarding the gate controls from above, Shorter descended the ladder on the inner side of the wall. Ash kept an eye out for enemies as his best friend pulled the switch to open the gates.

The heavy sounds of chains and large wooden doors opening echoed throughout the evening air, alerting both friend and foe to the happenings at the western gate.

“Charge!” The commanders shouted from their earpieces, followed by a roar of men.

From behind the trees of the forest, the Resistance rushed forward towards the opening gates.

“Shorter!” Ash called to his best friend who was still at the bottom of the ladder. Reaching a hand down, Ash wanted to quickly help the other up to the top of the wall before he was swept away by the mad flow of soldiers coming through the gate.

Jumping from where he was climbing, Shorter took hold of Ash’s offered hand and was swiftly pulled up.

But before Shorter even caught his breath, he raised his gun and shot towards Ash’s left side. Even though his gun was also silenced, Ash reflexively braced for the sound of a shot.

Turning to see that the pumpkins who were patrolling the wall were coming their way, Ash hurriedly got up and took aim.

“South-bound team are coming. North-bound team, start clearing out the top of the walls.”

“Roger that!” Ash and Shorter replied in unison as they took out the incoming wave of pumpkins.

Moving north along the western wall, Ash and Shorter were responsible for securing the whole length of the northern wall, progressing clockwise. In contrast, the south-bound team were the opposite, responsible for the same but along the southern wall. The plan was to keep pushing until the whole perimeter of Izumo was secured, with both teams meeting at the eastern gate.

Working around each other fluidly, Ash and Shorter made rapid progress to the north-western watchtower. Below them, the soldiers were divided into three groups, each engaging in a raging battle against the pumpkin army. Gunshots and shouting were mixed together, making it impossible to tell what was happening.

But just as Ash thought that, the first line of flares was shot.

In the midst of the fighting that was taking place in the town, three flares were shot into the sky which arched eastwards. That was the signal for the troops to continue forwards. The advance team in the north, closest to Ash and Shorter, had covered the most ground so far. They were already halfway across the northern part of town. The central advance group looked to be held up around the centre of town whereas the southern advance team were a bit further behind in terms of progression toward the eastern wall.

“Oi oi, we’re falling behind!” Shorter called to Ash as they just reached the north-western watchtower.

“We’ll catch up,” Ash replied.

Watching Shorter stalk up to the door of the watchtower, Ash slowed his run to a stop before taking aim at the building. His best friend gestured that he was going in and Ash replied with a nod.

With a firm push against the wooden surface, Shorter threw open the door but before they had a good look inside, there was a distinct _clink_ by his foot. The sound was all too familiar to Ash as his blood went cold.

“Shorter!”

An explosion followed and his best friend was blasted backwards. Ash raced forwards just in time to catch the other before he landed on hard surface of the wall. Half a dozen of enemies came out of the watchtower, and Ash didn’t hesitate to shoot them on sight.

“Shorter? Hey, can you hear me?!” Ash exclaimed, jade eyes not leaving his targets until they were all shot down.

“I’m fine,” Shorter coughed before pushing himself up from Ash’s arms.

Once the immediate threat was gone, Ash quickly scanned over his best friend for injuries. Thankfully, it only looked like light grazes, one on his forehead, a few on the back of his hand and along his arm.

Back on his feet, albeit a little unsteady at first, Shorter recollected himself.

“I’ll take the front,” Ash said.

Moving forward, he let Shorter cover his back while he made his way into the watchtower.

Stepping over the bodies of the enemy Ash shot down, they looked around the room. It was empty. The grenade from earlier made a real mess of the place, even blowing out the other door that led onto the northern wall.

“I’ll check upstairs,” Ash notified quietly before sneaking up the short spiral staircase.

He didn’t even get a chance to see the view up there when a sudden chilling presence appeared to his side. Dodging to the side, Ash saw the glare of a knife blade come very close to his face. The tip carved lightly into his cheek, drawing the slightest bit of blood.

Catching his breath back and taking aim, Ash shot at the enemy but he evaded and jumped back. Clicking his tongue in annoyance for having missed, Ash continued to shoot but after the second shot, the barrel of his gun jammed.

“Shit!” Ash cursed.

The enemy didn’t hesitate to use that opportunity to lunge at Ash with his knife. The killing intent was almost tangible. Using his gun to block the attack, Ash threw a punch at the other’s stupid pumpkin head. His fist, however, was caught perfectly in the other’s palm.

Jade eyes widened in surprise as this was the first time any pumpkin was skilled enough in hand-to-hand combat to defend. It was known that the pumpkin army had little coordination and combat skills, and that their success thus far was only because of sheer numbers and unpredictability. Whoever Ash was fighting was definitely a rare case over so many years of fighting the enemy.

With a flick of his knife, the pumpkin soldier caught the edge of Ash’s gun and knocked it away. The weapon clattered to the ground. Ash was about to reach behind him for his secondary pistol but the enemy raised his knife up and was ready to plunge it into Ash’s shoulder.

Catching the other’s wrist, Ash was knocked onto his back as the other tried to force his knife down. His other hand was still held in the enemy’s grip, rendering it useless for the time being.

Struggling against each other’s strength, Ash wormed his leg between them.

“Get off!” He yelled as he planted the sole of his foot to the other’s stomach before kicking him back.

The pumpkin man grunted before stumbling back. Ash thought he may have recognised that voice but pushing that thought to the back of his mind, he whipped out his other gun before he could recover. However, his shot missed again. The bullet only grazed the enemy’s upper arm before he threw himself off the edge of the watchtower.

“Hey!” Ash called out, running to the edge just to see the pumpkin man land on the northern wall before running off.

Disappearing quickly into the darkness, Ash didn’t get a chance to fire a bullet after his retreating figure.

Exhaling some tension out of his body, Ash reloaded his pistol before making his way back downstairs.

“Did you get them?” Shorter asked from where he had been guarding both doors.

“No,” Ash clicked his tongue.

Shorter looked at him with a raised eyebrow. “Were there a lot?”

“There was only one.” Ash replied through gritted teeth.

Not asking anymore, Shorter probably already figured out that whoever Ash faced wasn’t their regular pumpkin soldier.

With a press of his finger into his earpiece, Shorter reported. “North-western watchtower secured! Advancing to the northern wall!”

In the same moment, flares were shot into the sky again. The northern advance team had pushed more than half way across the town. The central advance team was still held up at the town centre but it looked like the southern team had made good progress despite their slower start.

“Looks like reinforcements made it through the southern gate,” Ash commented.

Exchanging a nod between them, Ash and Shorter double checked their weapons and ammunition before leaving the watchtower. They had to catch up with the northern advance team that covered the ground below the wall. It would be their fault for falling behind if they were exposed to any attacks from the wall.

Hurrying along the northern wall, Ash and Shorter cleared out every pumpkin along the way. Their progress was quickly catching up with that of the advance team below and in a blink of an eye, the two young soldiers overtook the ground troops.

The north-eastern watchtower was in sight. Not falling for the same trick again, it was Shorter’s turn to throw a grenade.

“Left window!” Shorter called as he bit the pin out with his teeth before swinging his arm over his head.

“Okay!” Ash responded, shooting out the left window as the grenade was sailing through the air.

It bounced once inside the building before the explosion went off, blasting the remaining windows and doors.

“Alright!” Shorter cheered as he went forward.

But just as he stepped into the building, Ash sensed a familiar chilling presence above. Looking up, he saw a pumpkin head looming over the edge of the upper floor before tipping forward with a knife aimed downwards.

“You again?!” Ash shouted, instincts recognising the enemy as the one who fled from the north-western watchtower before.

Craning his body back, Ash leapt away from the building as far as he could to evade the attack. The enemy landed just outside the doorway, his knife stabbing into the stone of the wall.

“Ash?!” Shorter turned at the sound before seeing the figure behind him.

Taking aim at the enemy, Shorter was about to shoot when the pumpkin head abruptly turned around. The action was so fast that neither Ash nor Shorter saw it coming. A fist was thrown directly into Shorter’s stomach, knocking all the air out of him.

“Shorter!” Ash exclaimed as his best friend landed harshly against the opposite wall inside the watchtower. Anger flashed before his eyes, as he cursed. “You bastard!”

Raising his gun, Ash took aim. From his position, he had to be careful not to hit Shorter but that moment of hesitation allowed the enemy to dash out of the watchtower, closing the distance between them in a matter of seconds.

The swift movements of his opponent and the way he ran with his body low to the ground was familiar. Ash couldn’t quite put his finger on it but he didn’t have much time to think.

Dodging the swipes of the other’s knife, they were in too close quarters for Ash to effectively use his gun. Deciding to fight fire with fire, Ash reached down to his thigh where he kept his knife. Once the weapon was in his hand, Ash defended against the other’s attacks more comfortably, taking aim with his gun when he moved out of close-quarter range.

Juggling between the two weapons, Ash was getting the upper hand when he noticed Shorter back on his feet behind the pumpkin man. With their opponent sandwiched, it was their win. Growing confident, Ash was about to rush forward when a flare was shot incredibly close to them.

Jade eyes were squinted shut from the brightness when he heard Shorter cry.

“Woah!”

Through the flare’s light, Ash saw the afterimage of the pumpkin head kicking Shorter off the wall. His best friend’s body was already in the process of falling.

“Shorter!” Ash screamed, running forward in an attempt to reach Shorter before he fell into the town.

But Ash didn’t get a chance to step much closer when the enemy turned around and kneed Ash squarely in the stomach. The impact made him gasp in pain, all the air in his lungs knocked out. Dropping his weapons with a clatter, Ash didn’t get much chance to recover when a roundhouse kick was sent his way.

However, unlike Shorter who was kicked off the wall and into town, Ash was kicked in the opposite direction. He was falling into the area outside of the wall.

Landing with a dull thud against the grass outside the town of Izumo, Ash raised himself onto his elbows as he coughed in pain. With very little reinforcements on this side of the wall, Ash had to quickly find his way back on top before he got too separated. There were only forests up ahead so he could make a dash for it but there was the risk that he would run into more enemies. And without Eiji’s knowledge of the area around Izumo, Ash would be in trouble.

A soft landing was heard not far away from him and Ash figured that he probably wouldn’t be able to run. Forcing himself to stand, Ash leant against the wall for some support as he held his throbbing middle.

“Just who the hell are you?” Ash hissed as he looked at the single enemy in front of him.

Out of every pumpkin Ash had ever fought since joining the platoon, this was the only one who emitted heavy bloodlust and put up such a rough fight. Was he getting rusty from all the easy opponents? No way, Ash refused to think he got _worse_ after experiencing real front line combat.

The other didn’t answer him. Instead, he juggled his knife between his hands as he stepped closer to Ash.

Once again, Ash felt like he was on the verge of remembering something. He knew someone who juggled his knife like that. In fact, they used to spar together during military sch-

Forced out of his thoughts by a lunge, Ash pushed himself off the wall. Staggering away, he turned just in time to dodge another knife attack. Swinging his leg around, Ash used his momentum to kick the other’s knife out of his hand. With both of them unarmed, at least it looked to be a more even fight.

Even though there wasn’t much light in the area outside of the walls, Ash was still able to hold his ground against the enemy. Punches and kicks were thrown one after another, his breath coming out in small puffs of steam as the temperature dropped a degree or two. Despite his injury, Ash was beginning to find a rhythm in their fight and the identity of the other began to become clear.

Just as the enemy was lunging towards Ash, he crouched down and swiped the other’s legs out. His opponent stumbled a few steps before Ash swung a backhanded punch at the pumpkin head. The texture of the pumpkin against his skin made Ash’s hairs stand on end. It was the first time he had ever touched the thing and he instantly felt a violent shiver down his spine. He desperately wanted to wipe the sensation off, better if he could wash his hands with some soap and water. He felt a bit nauseous all of a sudden and it wasn’t to do with the blow he took to the stomach earlier.

In the midst of his strange panic, the enemy recovered and lunged at Ash again. This time, he didn’t react fast enough as he was thrown backwards onto the ground. The other man straddled him over his chest while his hands gripped at Ash’s throat. Struggling for breath, Ash could only claw at the other’s hands as he withed under the person’s weight.

“Ar…thur…!” Ash squeezed out.

The reaction was immediate. The pumpkin man hesitated and that was all Ash needed before throwing his head up and smashing his forehead against the pumpkin.

For a moment, the other staggered back as Ash pushed himself up despite the stars he was seeing.

When he collected himself again, jade eyes looked up to see that the part of the pumpkin that Ash headbutted had cracked. The enemy raised his hand as if trying to cover the crack but the moment he touched it, that part of the pumpkin collapsed.

Jade eyes widened as his hunch was right.

Underneath the orange shell was a man with thin eyebrows, narrow blue eyes and pronounced cheekbones. Ash recognised those features anywhere.

“What the hell are you doing…?!” Ash breathed, barely hiding his anger. “Why the hell are you working for the enemy, Arthur?!”

Something dangerous flashed across blue eyes. But before either of them had a chance to make a move, a high pitched whistle was blown.

Arthur withdrew his hands before looking directly at Ash.

“We’ll finish this in Chinatown.” He said before dashing into the dark forest.

“Wait, Arthur!” Ash went to chase after the other when another voice called for him.

“Ash!”

Looking around, Ash saw that Shorter had made his way back up to the top of the wall. Ash felt a small wave of relief wash over him to see his best friend alright despite the fact that he was bleeding from the head and holding his left arm.

By the time Ash turned back to face the direction Arthur ran in, the enemy was already long gone. Pursing his lips together, Ash could only turn his back and make his way back up the wall.

Perhaps the sound didn’t travel through or over the walls very well, or Ash was too engaged in his fight with Arthur to notice but when he joined Shorter at the top of the wall, he was met with a wave of loud cheers. Apparently, the high pitched whistle from earlier was the pumpkin’s retreat signal and the town of Izumo was successfully retaken by the resistance.

“We did it again,” Shorter said as he slung an arm around Ash’s shoulders.

“Yeah,” Ash replied absently, his mind preoccupied.

“You don’t sound very happy,” Shorter noticed, turning to look at his friend with a serious expression.

Jade eyes turned to his best friend but he wasn’t sure what to say. Should he mention that the pumpkin soldier they fought was Arthur? Should he repeat what Arthur said about finishing their fight in Chinatown? Did that suggest that the next target for the pumpkin army was Chinatown? Ash was aware that Shorter had friends and family there so he didn’t want to make his best friend unnecessarily anxious.

Not even sure he was ready to bring it up, Ash decided to talk about something else.

“My best friend was kicked off a wall and broke his arm,” Ash said. “How could I be happy?”

“It’s only swollen. Plus, it’s a small sacrifice for getting Izumo back,” Shorter replied with a laugh.

Not a second later, a medic called out to Shorter from the foot of the wall. “Shorter, come back here!”

“Oh, whoops.” Shorter laughed again. “Looks like I have to go.”

With a pat on Ash’s back, Shorter went into the watchtower and made his way down to get his injuries checked over.

Watching as his best friend walked away, Ash was about to run a hand over his face when he remembered that both hand and his forehead touched Authur’s pumpkin head. Suddenly, the strange sensation he had before returned and Ash felt a quaking shiver run down his spine. Dashing to the nearest bathroom available in town, Ash rinsed the back of his hand and forehead several times with soap. He had to get rid of the disgusting feeling the pumpkin left on his skin otherwise he probably wouldn’t be able to sleep that night.

It turned out that he wasn’t able to sleep anyway. Despite the fatigue, Ash found himself laying in bed wide awake, unable to relax as his fight with Arthur and the words he said replayed in his head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun dun duuunn!! Arthur revealed. Some good combo-action with Ash and Shorter. I hope I was able to write the operation/advancement and fights well because there were a lot of words!! :O And I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it. Thank you, and see you next time!


	15. Resolve 1/2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After reclaiming Izumo, Ash returns to the Fortress.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back! This chapter is the start of the next mini ‘arc’ which is slightly slower in terms of pace because it’s more character focused rather than plot focused. All I can say is that I’m looking forward to it ;D I hope you enjoy!!

Feeling as if he hadn’t slept at all, jade eyes opened slowly to see a gentle source of light filtering into the room through the curtains. His body felt heavy and he didn’t want to move but he also felt restless. Groaning at the feeling of frustration, Ash turned onto his side and saw an empty bed.

Oh, that’s right. He was supposed to be sharing a room with Shorter that night but due to the other’s injuries, he was immediately sent back to the Fortress for medical attention.

Ash couldn’t remember the last time he had slept in a room on his own during an operation.

Dragging himself out of bed, Ash went to the bathroom to freshen himself up. He noticed how he had bags under his eyes and it was even more pronounced against his pale skin. With a sigh, Ash wiped his face before getting dressed.

Stepping out of the building, Ash found himself in a somewhat familiar part of town. He didn’t recognise it last night, perhaps it was too dark or he was too tired, but now that it was morning, Ash found himself in the place where he first saw Eiji.

The park where Eiji was seen with the kids was just up ahead. Some of the trees and benches dotted around the area had been destroyed. Some pumpkin corpses were still there, staining the grass red with their blood. Compared to what it looked like before, Ash felt a tinge of sadness.

It was strange to think that they had only met a few days ago. It felt like they had known each other for much longer given how comfortable Ash felt around the other and how their relationship had deepened so much in such a short time. Thinking about Eiji led Ash to remember the kiss they shared and he felt his cheeks heat up. A hand went to cover the lower part of his face as he imagined doing it again.

Shaking his head clear of such thoughts, Ash forced himself to turn away from the park. He made his way to the town centre where he saw Max and Charlie talking together.

“Oh, Ash!” Max greeted as Ash came closer.

Stifling a yawn, Ash waved in greeting.

“You…” A frown appeared on Max’s face. “You look like you didn’t get any sleep last night.” He pointed out.

Ash just brushed the comment aside while rubbing his eyes to clear them of sleep. “It’s nothing.”

“Can’t sleep without your brother around?” Max smirked, earning him a glare from Ash.

“Shut up,” Ash complained before scanning the area and noticing how there were very little people around. “Where is everyone today?”

“Reinforcements are monitoring the forests outside the walls. Whereas everyone else, they’re busy disposing of enemy corpses.” Charlie informed.

“Yeah, we have to get this place cleaned up before the residents can move back in,” Max nodded.

Ash nodded in understanding before a soldier ran up to them in urgency.

“Squad leaders!” He called with a wave over his head. “It’s Skipper! We found him!”

Spinning around at the news, the two squad leaders and Ash took off into a run towards the soldier. They were led to the southern gate where they saw Commander Jenkins speaking to a few others, and standing between them was a short boy whose afro was being ruffled by those around him.

“Skipper!” Ash couldn’t help but call out.

Relief washed over him as large brown eyes looked up. His expression bloomed into a bright smile as he stepped away from the commander.

“Ash!”

Skidding to a halt in front of the other, Ash pulled Skipper into his arms. “You’re alright!”

Returning the hug with a small laugh, Skipper patted Ash on the back. “I’m alright, I’m alright,” he reassured.

Pulling away, Ash huffed a sigh. “Where have you been all this time?”

“I’ve been hiding in a tree house,” Skipper replied.

“Tree house?” Ash repeated.

“Yeah,” Skipper nodded. “Ei-chan showed me where they were when I was staying here.”

Of course, it was Eiji.

A smile found its way to Ash’s mouth as he thought of the other. Really, in this one operation alone, Eiji had not only provided valuable information about the tree houses, but he had also saved Skipper’s life. Just how amazing could he be?

“Skipper, you should take the next ride back to the Fortress.” The commander suggested. “Ash too, go with him.”

“Yes, sir.” Ash and Skipper replied together before making their way to the trucks.

The ride back was filled with them telling each other what had happened in the past few days.

Ash informed Skipper that Griffin was shot in the leg. At first, the young boy was worried but Ash explained that his brother was fine and that he would recover in a month.

Skipper recounted his experience from the moment he left Izumo to scout. Apparently, he happened across those pumpkins soldier who didn’t wear pumpkin heads, but he couldn’t make it back to town. Retreating into the tree house for the past few days, Skipper managed to survive thanks to Eiji and the town kids’ teachings.

“Teachings?” Ash wondered.

“Yeah!” Skipper smiled. “They told me about their hidden food supply and said that if it ever rained while I’m in the tree house then I have to collect the water. I ended up staying there for much longer than I expected so having that water was useful. They also have clean towels and blankets stowed away too!” Skipper spoke excitedly. “It was like a real hideout. It was so cool!”

Ash really had no words to say. Even though he stayed at one of those tree houses himself, it didn’t occur to him just how well equipped the seemingly rundown shack in a tree was.

It seemed like Ash just kept finding more and more things related to Eiji to be amazed about.

The truck pulled over after re-entering the Fort. There was a temporary medical tent set up near the parking area so that soldier got treated as soon as possible. There were a lot more injured than Ash had thought.

“Squad leader!” Skipper exclaimed, dashing off in the direction of the medical tent.

“Wha-?” Ash was surprised. “Skipper?!”

But just as he said that, he looked to where the young boy was running towards and he felt himself follow in that direction too.

Sitting among one of the many groups of injured soldiers, a few reacted to Skipper’s call. But the one to stand up and respond was none other than Griffin.

“Skipper?!” He called, stumbling out of the circle he formed with the other soldiers before his gaze met Ash as well. “Aslan!”

From afar, Ash watched as the smile on Griffin’s face widened as Skipper ran up to him. It was a cute little scene, like a child reuniting with his father. Finding himself smiling as well, Ash was just jogging up to them when he noticed someone from behind Griffin. As his brother moved away from the circle of soldiers, he revealed the person who was sitting beside him. Jade eyes met large dark eyes. A wave of emotions crashed over Ash, wiping off his previous smile even though he was happy to see the other. But for some reason, he just felt like crying.

As Griffin knelt down to welcome Skipper into his arms, Ash’s attention was no longer on them because the person who had suddenly entered his life and turned his feelings inside out was worming past the soldiers around him before breaking out into a run towards Ash. He didn’t realise when his jogging turned into an all out sprint, but all he knew was that he wanted to close the distance between them as quickly as possible.

“Eiji!”

“Ash!”

They called to each other before they crashed together.

The force of the impact made Eiji stagger back a bit but Ash kept him upright. They held each other tightly, leaving no space between them. Both were panting lightly, hot breaths coming out in short burst that ghosted over the other’s ear and hair.

“Ash, you’re back.” Eiji breathed in relief, burying his head into Ash’s shoulder.

“Yeah,” Ash replied. “I’m back. Just like I promised.”

The warmth in his arms and the scent of Eiji was rapidly calming the surge of emotion inside his chest. It was really beyond Ash’s understanding how Eiji could be the source of his inner turmoil yet he was also the remedy for it.

“Eiji,” Ash said. Loosening his hold on the other, Ash pulled away a little so that they could look at each other. His heart fluttered just at the sight of Eiji and Ash felt like he was giving into temptation again.

Leaning forward to kiss the other, their lips just brushed when Eiji pulled away.

Instantly, Ash felt cold. The action made his heart lurch. His arms slowly withdrew from the other’s waist as fear clouded his mind. He didn’t realise how painful the feeling of rejection was and all of a sudden, he felt like crying for an entirely different reason.

Hesitantly to the point of almost fearfully, jade eyes looked up at Eiji. He was, however, met with a reassuring smile.

“Let’s not do it here,” Eiji whispered, taking hold of Ash’s hands before they withdrew completely. “There are too many people around.”

With their hands connected between them, Ash felt like he was somewhat grounded again.

Leaning to the side to look around Eiji, Ash saw how all eyes were on them. It wasn’t just his brother, Skipper and the circle of injured soldiers with them, but they seemed to have had the attention of _every_ soldier in the medical area.

Feeling his face heat up from embarrassment, Ash wanted to kick himself for getting so lost in the moment that he couldn’t even tell where they were. One look at Eiji told him that he was also thinking the same thing as a dark blush was dusting his cheeks.

Nodding stiffly, Ash untangled their fingers before rubbed his cheek as if trying to hide the redness. “S-Sorry about that.”

Eiji shook his head in response but he wasn’t able to look at Ash directly. “Don’t apologise.”

Standing there awkwardly for a moment, neither of them knew what to say. But thankfully, as if his brother-sensor told him that Ash was struggling, Griffin called out to them.

“Hey! Aren’t you going to say hi to me?”

Looking up and then between each other, Ash and Eiji shared a laugh.

“Let’s go then,” Ash suggested, to which Eiji nodded.

“Sure!”

Recovering from the previous awkwardness, they made their way to Griffin.

“Nii-san,” Ash greeted, stepping into his brother’s open arms.

“Welcome back, Aslan.”

But just as their brief hug ended, Ash noticed how some of the soldiers were around Eiji. One had an arm around his shoulders as they laughed together.

“When did you get so close to our little lynx, Eiji?”

“You’re full of surprises, huh.”

They joked around as if it were natural and Eiji didn’t even seem to be uncomfortable. The scene was rather odd and it must have shown on his face.

“What’s wrong, Aslan?” Griffin asked.

Ash leant closer to his brother without taking his eye off a soldier thrusting a mug of beer into Eiji’s hands.

“When did they get so friendly with Eiji?”

But before his brother got a chance to answer, another soldier came up to Ash and slung an arm around his shoulders. “What, are you jealous?”

“Wha-?!” Ash felt his blush return at full force.

“Y’see,” the soldier continued, pointing a finger at Eiji. “Eiji, here, is a true angel. Since you left for the operation, he has been busy looking after us injured old men. He may be a bit slow but that kid can probably cure us with just a smile.”

“Eh?” Ash blinked dumbly at Eiji before turning to his brother as if to confirm.

With a smile and a shrug, Griffin replied. “Don’t look at me. I don’t know about the all-healing angel, but I can tell you that Eiji has been working hard here at the temporary clinic.”

“But why?” Ash wondered.

“He said he wanted to help,” Griffin shrugged again.

But before Ash could ask anything else, the soldier dragged him aside before hunching down so that Griffin was out of earshot. In a hushed voice, he said. “But listen to me, Ash. You should be careful whenever Griff and Eiji are together. They may look like the purest pair you can imagine but trust me when I say this, they are a frightening duo.”

Ash was still processing that information when a chilling voice came from behind them. “Now what type of information are you feeding my brother, hmm?”

Both Ash and the soldier shivered on the spot as they turned around stiffly.

Bolting upright, the soldier denied. “N-Nothing, squad leader!” And quickly after, he hurried away to hide behind some other soldiers.

Now that Ash thought about it, putting Griffin and Eiji together did seem like the brightest pair ever imaginable. However, what Ash couldn’t comprehend was how they could also be frightening. He knew that Griffin had a terrifying chill when he got angry but that was an incredibly rare occurrence. And Eiji…? Jade eyes glanced over at Eiji and wondered, could he even get angry? Not that Ash wanted to try but he really couldn’t imagine it.

But before he could think any further about it, Ash watched as the soldiers swarmed Eiji as if he were their own. They cuddled him and were too physically close for Ash’s liking. His chest felt strangely tight as he wanted to step in and peel them off Eiji.

_What, are you jealous?_ The words of the soldier flashed across his mind and Ash felt a wave of irritation.

Not wanting to fall into the trap, Ash decided not to interfere. Opting to sit next to his brother, Ash watched as Eiji mingled with the other soldiers.

Strangely enough, Ash found himself laughing at their interactions. Eiji didn’t hesitate to scold the soldiers, his teacher side really showing as he scolded them for making an inappropriate joke or sloshing their drinks too much. Of course, it was just banter. Everyone including Eiji was laughing along, making it seem like Eiji was a member of their platoon as well.

A while passed before they let Eiji go. Walking up to Ash with a small sigh, he sat down heavily beside the other.

“It surprises me how they’re just as energetic as kids,” Eiji laughed.

Ash also chuckled. “Don’t let them hear you say that. They’ll act even more like idiots.”

Eiji laughed behind a hand. “Everyone’s so close. It’s quite nice.”

“You fit in quite well though,” Ash replied, glancing over at Eiji to see his profile.

“I guess,” he hummed with a smile. “I feel like, I got a glimpse of the world you live in by being with them.”

Hearing that, Ash turned to face Eiji with a mix of emotions. He opened his mouth to respond but he didn’t know what to say.

Eiji once mentioned that it felt like they lived in two different worlds. At first, Ash didn’t think much about it but this time, it made him wonder. Was it really alright for them to be together? Their lives had barely anything in common. Just because they happened to meet by chance, it wasn’t clear whether staying together was the right thing to do.

Ash’s hands clenched into fists.

Hearing that Eiji showed interest in his life made Ash happy. It felt like there was someone who genuinely wanted to get to know him, to know more about Ash, without the intention to use it against him. It made Ash feel wanted. But was it alright to let him enter this world? Was it safe?

Ash knew the answer to that.

Jade eyes fell as his mind began to contradict his heart. He knew what he should do but he didn’t want to do it. A soldier’s job was to protect the normal people which meant that Ash shouldn’t allow Eiji to get any closer. But Ash didn’t want to push the other away.

Dropping his head onto the other’s shoulder, Ash silenced his thought before it made him any more depressed. Eiji called his name but he didn’t respond. With his mind being too preoccupied, Ash barely noticed how he reached out to grab the other’s hand. He intertwined their fingers together as they sat quietly among the chatter of the soldiers around them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ash, my boy, you’re so in love with Eiji… It’s hurting my heart ;_; But before we start sobbing too hard, let me cheer for Skipper!! That precious boy is alright!! His relationship with Griffin is something that I plan to explore because I think it would be nice. Same goes for Eiji and Griffin too. Am I giving too much love to wonderful big bro Griff? XD Anyway, I hope you enjoyed that – next chapter to come in two week, until then!!


	16. Resolve 2/2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ash follows through with his decision.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I hope everyone is doing well. If you didn’t pick up on the hints from last chapter then I’m warning you now – Prepare for feels!! I made myself cry writing this so I hope you enjoy :’D

Waking up the next morning, Ash felt the heaviness of his decision weighing down on his shoulders but his mind was oddly clear. After spending a lot of the previous night thinking, both about Eiji and Arthur, Ash came to a conclusion.

“Skipper,” Ash greeted the young boy who was absently swinging his legs at the back of a parked truck, a cup in one hand while his phone was held in the other.

He looked up. “Ash!” He smiled brightly as Ash made his way up to him. “You’re up early.”

“Yeah,” Ash shrugged. “Are you free right now?”

“Yeah, what’s up?”

“I’d like you to check something for me,” Ash started, leaning against the back of the truck so they could speak side by side. “Have you heard anything happening in Chinatown?”

“Chinatown?” Skipper repeated before tilting his head in thought. “Not really. Why?”

“Could I ask you to look into it?” Ash asked.

“I can,” Skipper nodded. “But why there? Do you think that’s where the pumpkins will attack next?”

“It’s just a hunch,” Ash replied. “But I’ve got no evidence to back it up.”

“I’ll see what I can find then,” Skipper said, finishing his drink before hopping off the truck.

“Thanks, Skip.”

For the rest of that day, Ash spent it quietly collecting information and preparing. He listened in on squad leaders and commanders’ conversations, studied in the bookstore and visited a secluded garage where he paid the owner for a decent second-hand motorbike. It all depended on Skipper’s information as to what he would do next.

It turned evening before long as Ash lost himself in books again. Too absorbed and focused, he barely registered the person who entered the store and stepped up to him.

“Ash?”

Surprised by the visitor, Ash automatically assumed that it was his brother since Griffin was the only person who could sneak up on him. But when he saw that it was Eiji, his heart skipped a beat and it wasn’t to do with being startled.

“Eiji,” Ash greeted after a quick clear of his throat.

“Sorry, did I disrupt you?” Eiji asked with a guilty smile.

Closing his book, Ash shook his head. “Did you need something?”

“I just came to get you for dinner,” Eiji explained. “Have you eaten yet?”

“Is it that time already?” Ash asked, looking out the window to see that the sky had been painted a dark orange. “What do we have?”

“Beef stew,” Eiji replied with a smile.

“That sounds nice,” Ash nodded, standing up and feeling his stomach grumble in hunger.

Following Eiji out, Ash found himself walking just a step behind the other. Jade eyes couldn’t help but linger on the other’s hair, shoulders, back… He wanted to reach his hand out and lace their fingers together like the few times before. But he knew better than to give in to temptation.

Ash was prepared to let the other go, after all.

“Ash?”

Looking up, Ash saw the concerned way Eiji looked at him. It tugged on his heart and he couldn’t hold eye contact.

“What’s wrong?”

Shaking his head, Ash kept his gaze low as he walked past Eiji. “Nothing. Let’s go.”

He knew that his act wasn’t very convincing but he hoped that Eiji wouldn’t ask. He didn’t, and Ash was grateful that he wasn’t the type to pry.

Dinner was eaten quietly. For the first time since joining the platoon, Ash felt a veil of loneliness despite being surrounded by friends and comrades. Even though the atmosphere was lively to the point of being rowdy, Ash could barely pull a smile.

After washing his bowl and leaving it on the side, Ash left the crowd for a peaceful post-dinner walk. His mood was really heavy, much more than he expected it to be, but he kept reminding himself that this was for the best. He was going to settle things with Arthur and Eiji would go back to his normal life, away from the soldiers and away from danger.

“Ash!”

Jades eyes pinched shut as his heart strained.

“Why did you leave so early?” Eiji asked from behind him.

“Eiji…” Ash turned around only to see the other walk right up to him before sliding a hand onto his forehead.

“Are you feeling unwell? Do you have a fever?”

Dark eyes looked over Ash worriedly, scanning his features for any signs of illness.

Why? Why was Eiji like this? Even when Ash was trying his best to hold back, to pull away, he would come back to Ash as if it were natural. Ash wouldn’t be able to let go like this. He wouldn’t be able to say goodbye.

Unable to stop himself, Ash wrapped his arms around Eiji. The words _I love you_ were on the tip of his tongue again, but he kept a tight lid on it. He dropped his head onto the other’s shoulders as he scolded himself for having no resistance. There was just no way he could win, not against Eiji.

Forcing himself to release the other, Ash felt a horrible knot in his chest. His mind repeated the decision he made last night in an attempt to silence the cries within his heart. He only prayed that Eiji wouldn’t chip away any more of his resolve.

“Hey, it looks like Izumo’s all cleaned up now,” Ash heard a soldier say from where he was quietly eating breakfast the next morning.

“Yeah, they’ll be rounding up the townspeople and sending them back. I think they said the first group was due to leave at noon.” Another replied.

Lowering his bowl of soup, Ash realised that the time to say goodbye came quicker than he expected. Perhaps that was a good thing though. All that remained was for Skipper to report back to him so that he could plan when to leave for Chinatown. But the moment he thought that, a familiar voice called out to Ash.

“Ash,” Skipper approached the other with a wave before speaking quietly into the other’s ear. “I’ve asked around here and the villages north of Izumo but it doesn’t seem like any pumpkins have been spotted in or around Chinatown.”

“Is that so,” Ash nodded, quickly finishing his soup. “Then, it’s fine. You can leave it.”

“Leave it?” Skipper was surprised. “But why? Aren’t your hunches normally right?”

“No, this one was… a bit far-fetched,” Ash lied.

Skipper didn’t look convinced but he didn’t ask anymore.

With a quick word of thanks, Ash made his way back to his temporary apartment he shared with his brother. He walked in expecting to see Griffin but when he didn’t, Ash remembered that his brother had a check up at the clinic. Perhaps it was a good thing his brother wasn’t around since it gave Ash some time to sort out his belongings before he departed for Chinatown that evening.

He had to make sure Eiji was properly sent off to Izumo before then.

After feeling as if he had been avoiding Eiji for the past day, it felt strange to suddenly go looking for him. Ash looked around all the places he expected to find the other, but when Eiji was nowhere to be found, he began to grow concerned.

But just as his concern was becoming desperation, a familiar voice called out to Ash.

“Ash!”

Ash couldn’t have spun around faster, feeling relief wash over him.

How ridiculous, Ash thought as he watched the other jog up to him. Eiji was only away from his side for a little while yet it made him feel so uneasy. If they were really going to go separate ways, would Ash be able to stop worrying about the other? Was it really for the best?

Shaking his doubts out of his head, Ash turned to Eiji who approached him.

“I was looking for you,” Eiji said.

A huff of a laugh left Ash. “What a coincidence. I was looking for you as well.”

“Eh, really?” Eiji perked up, a hint of happiness in his voice.

“Yeah,” Ash replied. “But you first. Did you need something?”

“Oh, well, I…” Eiji stammered, rubbing the back of his head as he looked from side to side. “I came to tell you that we’re allowed to go back to Izumo now.”

“That… Yeah, I know.” Ash shrugged, trying to act as natural as possible despite the tightness in his chest.

“Right…” Eiji’s shoulders slumped a little, eyes falling to the ground. “Of course, you knew.” He huffed a laugh before looking back up at Ash. “What are you going to do?”

“Me?” Ash didn’t expect that question. “Shouldn’t I be asking you that?”

“Well, yeah, maybe.” Eiji replied, making Ash raise an eyebrow at how strangely the other was acting. But he didn’t say anything else so Ash felt like he was waiting for an answer.

“What am I going to do?” Ash muttered. “I’ll… see you off, I guess.”

Eiji looked up at Ash, something flashed across dark eyes but it faded before Ash could tell what it was. He looked as if he was going to say something in response but he stopped himself. “I see,” he nodded instead. “You’ll probably just tell me to wait again, huh.”

“You don’t have to,” Ash replied. His voice came out colder than he intended but perhaps it would work for the better.

“What?” Eiji looked up, eyes wide in surprise.

“I said,” Ash kept it together, it wasn’t the time to falter. “You don’t have to wait for me this time.”

“What is that supposed to mean?!” Eiji grabbed Ash’s upper arm in alarm.

The hurt in dark eyes made it hard for Ash to keep eye contact. Looking away, he stayed silent.

“Ash!” Eiji shook his shoulders. “Answer me!”

The desperation in his voice quaked Ash’s heart. If he heard any more, his resolve would crumble and he wouldn’t be able to let Eiji go. Forcing anger to hide his true emotions, Ash roughly batted Eiji’s hands away and took a step back.

“We live in two different worlds. You said so yourself!” Ash started, tears prickling his eyes. “When you said you caught a glimpse of the world I live in, you only saw a mere fraction of it. The rest of it is dark and full of bloodshed. It isn’t where you belong!”

“But-” He tried to argue but Ash stopped him.

“No buts, Eiji. I need a gun to survive in my world because I’m a soldier. You don’t because you’re a civilian.”

“Then as a civilian, at least let me wait for you!” Eiji pleaded.

“No,” Ash shook his head. “I don’t want you to.”

“Why not?” Eiji asked. “You’re acting strange. Didn’t I promise that I’ll wait for you no matter what? Why are you suddenly pushing me away like this?”

“Because we can’t be together!” Ash exclaimed. “Go back to Izumo and stay there!”

Eiji visibly bristled at that. Dark eyes flared with hurt as he briskly turned away from Ash.

Watching Eiji’s retreating back, Ash’s vision went in and out of focus. His gaze was being obstructed by tears, threatening to fall as his words replayed in his own head.

_Because we can’t be together! Go back to Izumo and stay there!_

How much of that was a lie? And how much of that was the truth? He didn’t want to think about it.

With that, Eiji was probably going to go home. They probably wouldn’t ever see each other again, but as long as Eiji was in a safe place, that was enough for Ash. The time they spent together was short but it was the happiest moments of his life.

After dragging his feet back to his room, Ash laid in bed and stared blankly up at the ceiling. It was as if a hole had opened up in his chest. No matter what he thought about, he couldn’t feel anything. He felt horribly depressed and empty. If he fought Arthur in such a state, Ash wasn’t even sure if he could win. But did he care about winning? He wouldn’t have anything to come back to if he won since he told Eiji not to wait for him.

A sigh left Ash as he threw an arm over his eyes. He was back to thinking about Eiji again.

He didn’t want to regret his decision to push the other away. It was for Eiji’s safety anyway. But Ash didn’t expect it to hurt so much. He wasn’t sure whether the pain was worth it.

Barely reacting to the sound of someone coming into his room, Ash continued to lie there like a corpse.

“Aslan,” his brother asked. “Are you asleep?”

Removing his arm from over his face, Ash turned his head to look at his brother who carried a small tray of food to Ash’s bedside table. He should have felt guilty for making his injured brother bring food for him. With the intention of apologising, Ash opened his mouth but the only sound that came out was a sigh.

“Did something happen?” Griffin asked softly as he perched on the edge of Ash’s bed.

The question made Ash want to cry.

Reaching out, Griffin stroked his brother’s blond hair. His touch was gentle, as if encouraging Ash to speak. “You can talk to me.” Griffin said. “I can’t guarantee that I’ll be able to give you the advice you need but I’m here to listen if you want me to.”

Too busy trying to hold his tears in, Ash only nodded against Griffin’s hand. His brother was always so supportive and Ash actually considered being honest about what was on his mind but in the end, he decided against it.

Mentally, he bowed his head and apologised to Griffin.

That evening, after his brother had gone to sleep, Ash rose from bed. Silently, he slipped on his shoes and grabbed the backpack he had stowed away under his bed. Jade eyes glanced over to Griffin’s resting expression before making his way to the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ugghh, my heart hurts ;_; Why am I writing this .< Until then~


	17. Confession

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ash encounters an obstacle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, the title isn’t lying. You know what to expect from this chapter so I’m not saying any more than this XD Have fun reading~

The streets had long gone quiet, save for a few pubs that were still open where a few individuals were still drinking. Sneaking his way through the backstreets, Ash found his way to where he left his recently purchased motorbike. After double checking that everything was in order, Ash put his helmet on and threw his leg over the bike. He started up the engine before riding off towards the eastern gate.

The night was cold and dark. The wind nipped at Ash even through the layers of clothing he wore. Small shivers kept tickling his skin, the sensation irritating and distracting.

About half way to the gate, Ash calculated the time it would take to ride directly east from the Fortress of York before reaching Chinatown. It was a good thing he packed some food beforehand because he didn’t think that he could make it without at least one food break.

The roads weren’t very busy at that time of night. The amount of vehicles he drove past could be counted on both hands. So, when he heard a motorbike come up from behind him, Ash didn’t think much about it until it overtook him.

Out of the corner of his eyes, Ash caught a glimpse of red before the motorbike sped past him. There were two people mounted on a familiar red motorbike.

Recognition hit him hard. Jade eyes widened as the driver of the red motorbike turned and skidded to a stop a few dozen metres in front of Ash, effectively blocking the way.

Immediately, Ash reacted to the obstruction. Twisting the handlebars, his vehicle skidded and screeched to a halt before Ash threw off his helmet.

“Shorter?!” Ash exclaimed as he watched his best friend take off his helmet. “And…”

But before he got a chance to say the name, the other person had already pulled off his helmet. He tossed it angrily behind him, making Shorter catch it with a fumble.

“Ash!” His voice boomed.

“E-Eiji?!” Ash backed away as Eiji marched right up to him, his expression uncharacteristically intimidating.

“What are you doing here?!” Eiji demanded.

“I should be asking you that question!” Ash replied.

“Don’t talk back to me!” Eiji scolded, leaning into Ash with a glare. “I want to know why you’re running away!”

Even though Ash was craning his back away from Eiji, he caught a whiff of something before grabbing the other’s upper arm and forcing some distance between them.

“Shorter, is he drunk?!” Ash turned to his best friend.

“He is,” Shorter replied as he walked up to the two of them.

“Why…” Ash began to ask but he had a feeling he already knew the answer.

A sigh left Shorter. “You’re the reason for it, Ash. Why did you go and say those things to him? Just when things were looking good for the two of you.”

Ash pursed his lips together but before he got a chance to say anything, Eiji spoke up.

“Ash…” The way he said his name was like he was begging. Dropping his head onto Ash’s shoulder, Eiji tugged at the front of his top. “Ash…”

Releasing his hold on the other, Ash let Eiji walk into him before wrapping his arms around the other’s shoulders. “I’m here.” Ash reassured.

When it appeared that Eiji wasn’t going to say anything, Ash turned to Shorter.

“How did you find me?”

Shorter looked at Ash firmly. “I was taking Eiji back when he saw you sneak around the corner. To be honest, I thought he was seeing things but he insisted. And then we saw you ride away.”

“I see…” Ash replied absently.

“So, where are you going?” Shorter asked, planting his hands on his hips.

Pursing his lips together, Ash debated whether to tell Shorter the truth or not. He didn’t want to drag his best friend into his problem or worry him unnecessarily when Chinatown wasn’t under threat but given his position, he should probably be honest.

“Please, Ash.” Eiji spoke up in his arms. “Tell us.”

Ash didn’t have a choice.

“Chinatown,” Ash began. “I’m going to Chinatown.”

“What?” Shorter was surprised. “Why there?”

A sigh left Ash as he figured that he had to explain from the start. “Do you remember the pumpkin we fought at the north-eastern watchtower of Izumo?”

“The one who kicked me off the wall and did this to my arm?” Shorter asked, waving his bandaged arm between them. “How could I not?”

“Well, he’s…” Ash hesitated. “That was Arthur.”

“What?!” Shorter couldn’t hide his shock. “What do you mean that was Arthur?!”

“Exactly that,” Ash huffed. “I cracked his pumpkin head and behind it was Arthur. You know I can’t be wrong about these things!”

“No, I believe you.” Shorter reassured, although his expression was that of disbelief. “But I’m just…”

Ash waved dismissively before adding the part he didn’t want to tell his best friend. “And he said that we’ll finish our fight in Chinatown.”

“Is that where they’re planning on attacking next?” Shorter asked immediately.

Ash predicted this reaction and he shook his head. “I don’t know. I asked Skipper to take a look if there’s any pumpkin activity in and around Chinatown but he said there wasn’t. So I’m assuming that it’s just between the two of us.”

“And that’s why you didn’t tell me?” Shorter asked with a raised eyebrow.

Guiltily, Ash nodded.

Shorter sighed heavily. “You should have more faith in me, Ash. We’re best friends, aren’t we?”

“Sorry,” Ash apologised, genuinely feeling quite bad.

But Shorter only waved his apology aside. “You should save your apologies for Eiji. I think you owe him that much at least.”

It wasn’t like Ash forgot about Eiji but since the other was silently in his arms, it may have slipped his mind. In fact, Ash actually wondered whether the other was still awake.

“Eiji?” He asked softly.

There was a reaction, a slight shuffle but nothing else.

“Eiji, will you look at me?” Ash tried.

“No,” came Eiji’s answer. “I’m still angry at you.” But he didn’t sound very angry.

A quiet sigh left Ash as he turned back to Shorter. “You said you were taking Eiji back when he saw me, right? Were you drinking with him?”

“Like hell I was,” Shorter looked offended. “I wouldn’t take him on a ride had I drank anything.”

As always, Shorter was a very responsible driver.

“One of the soldiers Eiji was drinking with waved me over when I walked past. He was already quite drunk by then and I was going to take him back to his place but he refused to leave.” A sigh left Shorter again. “And then I heard all about what you said.”

Ash turned away guiltily as he twirled a curly tuft of Eiji’s hair around his finger.

“Why did you say it, Ash?” Shorter pressed, tone serious. “Even if you have to go and settle things with Arthur, telling him to leave like that was a bit harsh.”

“I just want him to be somewhere safe,” Ash confessed.

Eiji muttered something into Ash’s shoulder but he didn’t hear much of it.

“Eiji, what did you say?” Ash held the other by the shoulder carefully.

Pulling away, Eiji stood up straight. His eyes were half-lidded, tired looking and slightly red around the corners. Ash figured that he probably made Eiji cry a lot. Tracing a thumb over the redness, Ash also noticed how the other’s cheeks were quite blushed. It was probably a combination of alcohol and the cold night.

“I said,” Eiji started, dark eyes looking straight into jade eyes. “I feel the safest when I’m with you.”

Hearing that, Ash’s heart skipped a beat. He blamed the alcohol for making Eiji say something that struck him right to the core. If Eiji felt the safest with Ash, then why the hell was he going to send the other back to Izumo? Ash wanted to laugh.

“You can’t live a normal life if you stay with me,” Ash said. “If you go back home, you can-”

But Eiji shook his head. “I can’t. There’s no way I can go back to a normal life after meeting you. I don’t want to pretend like we never met.”

“Eiji…”

“But if…” Eiji pursed his lips together for a moment before continuing. “If you honestly tell me that my feelings are one-sided, then I’ll go back to Izumo. But you… If our feelings are mutual then don’t push me away.”

In any normal circumstances, Ash would be so horribly embarrassed to even function, especially when his best friend was standing right beside them. But Ash was touched by Eiji’s words. Not only was it the first time anyone had ever said such things to Ash, but Eiji had basically just confessed his feelings. How could Ash possibly let him go now?

Pulling Eiji back into his arms, Ash tried his best to keep his emotions in check. “They’re mutual,” he said. “I feel the same way, Eiji. I’m sorry I pushed you away. I won’t do it again, so please… stay by my side.”

Beside them, Ash could hear a soft _aww_ from Shorter. Normally he would glare at the other for the tease but at that moment, his attention was too occupied.

“Eiji…” Ash spoke softly, loosening his hold to pull Eiji away just enough so that they were face to face again.

Since a while ago, Eiji didn’t look as drunk as before and he prayed that by the time he sobered up completely, he wouldn’t have forgotten everything. But even if he did, Ash wasn’t going to let him slip away. Now that they were together, Ash didn’t plan on letting go.

Closing the distance between them, their lips were just about to meet when a soft cough cut through the moment. Ash wondered whether Eiji’s drunkenness had infected him because not even a moment ago, Ash was aware of Shorter’s presence.

“S-Sorry,” Ash apologised with a guilty smile.

Shorter huffed a sigh but a smile was on his face too. “Good thing you’re not completely blind to your surroundings,” Shorter chuckled. “We should head back. I suggest we tell the commander about you going to Chinatown. I’d like to come with you too.”

“Yeah,” Ash agreed. “I think I’ll tell my brother first tonight. And then we’ll go to the commander tomorrow.”

With a nod, Shorter made his way back to his bike. Ash watched carefully to make sure his best friend’s back was fully turned when he looked back at Eiji and stole a kiss. Dark eyes widened at the action before a smile stretched across his face. Ash was just about to tell Eiji to get back on Shorter’s bike when the other leant in and stole a kiss from Ash.

“Back at you,” Eiji smirked before turning away.

In a daze, Ash felt a rush of heat assault his face. Quickly, he pulled his helmet over his head in an attempt to hide his blush while Eiji secured the helmet Shorter handed him before climbing onto the other’s red motorbike.

Really, Ash couldn’t tell whether Eiji was actually drunk or not. If he were, then drunk Eiji wasn’t too bad.

Returning to the temporary apartment Ash and his brother shared, they apologised for waking Griffin up before tucking Eiji into Ash’s bed. Even though his sleep was interrupted, Griffin didn’t seem annoyed. In fact, when Ash and Shorter explained what had happened at Izumo and Ash wanting to go to Chinatown, Griffin was calm and gave them his full attention.

Even after hearing everything, he still silently accepted and trusted their words without question.

Feeling guilty for hiding from his brother, Ash spoke up. “Nii-san, I’m sorry.”

But Griffin only smiled softly at Ash before lightly shaking his head. “Don’t be. You had your reasons and I respect that. I may be a little upset that you didn’t confide in me but I trust you, Aslan.”

Although his expression was soft, his gaze was firm.

“I trust that you have your way of doing things, your own way of resolving things, and your way of coming back.”

Really, Griffin was a brother like no other. And Ash couldn’t be more grateful. “Thank you, Nii-san.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IT’S MUTUAL!! (Well, we knew that all along, haha XD) But, ugghh, I cried when I wrote this, and cried again when I was editing. My heart is so weak for these two, help!! And let’s award best wingman to Shorter :D Next chapter in two weeks – see you then!!


	18. Free Time 1/2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ash is not leaving for Chinatown just yet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I was debating over whether I should include a slow-paced mini-arc just to give us a breather before diving into Chinatown. And well, I decided to write it anyway and see how it turned out, and y’know, I quite enjoyed it and it may be some good fun so I’ve kept it in. Hope you enjoy!!

Stirred awake by the opening and closing of the front door, Ash groaned as he tried to turn over. But when he found that he couldn’t, jade eyes blinked open in confusion to see that Eiji was holding onto his middle. It was like the reverse of the time Ash slept in Eiji’s arms. Lightly, Ash was stroking over Eiji’s curly dark locks when dark eyes cracked open.

“My bad,” Ash apologised. “Did I wake you?”

Eiji shook his head before burying his face into the other’s chest. He gave Ash a quick squeeze before detaching himself.

Sitting up while rubbing an eye, Eiji stifled a yawn before greeting. “Good morning.”

Also pushing himself into a sitting position, Ash smiled softly. “Morning. Did you sleep well?”

Eiji nodded.

“How do you feel?”

“Not too bad,” Eiji laughed softly.

“Then, do you…” Ash started, a part of him a little anxious to hear the answer. “Do you remember what happened yesterday?”

Eiji looked up at Ash. Unlike the previous night when they were half lidded and slightly clouded over by alcohol, dark eyes were clear and focused. Ash definitely preferred them when they were honest like that.

With a sweet smile, Eiji nodded. “Every word.”

A breath of relief left Ash before he looked away shyly. “Well, that’s embarrassing.”

Sharing a laugh between them, their hands found each other’s again. Their fingers intertwined as if it were natural and they didn’t detach even when they heard voices approach the door and three people walked in.

“Oh, you’re both awake.” Griffin smiled. “Good morning.”

“Morning,” Ash and Eiji replied in unison.

His brother looked as pleasant as always but Max who followed him wore a complicated expression. Ash figured that he must have already heard everything from Griffin. Whereas Shorter who was last to come in looked as if had just woken up.

With Griffin and Max perched on the other bed and Shorter standing beside Ash and Eiji, they discussed everything again. There weren’t many facts to work from and in the end, most of what they talk about was all hypothetical but a few things remained certain: Ash wanted to settle his fight with Arthur, Shorter wanted to see his friends and family, and that they should address the whole thing to the commander.

“Ah,” Max seemed to have remembered something. “But the commander left for Izumo yesterday.”

“He did?” Shorter asked, to which Max nodded.

“Then let’s get the next ride to Izumo,” Griffin suggested with a smile.

“Shouldn’t you stay and rest?” Max looked at his best friend unsure.

“You can’t expect me to sit around while Aslan’s out there working hard, right?” Griffin argued, to which Max rubbed the back of his head.

“We probably need your brother’s help to convince the commander anyway,” Shorter said quietly into Ash’s ear.

In all honesty, Shorter was probably right.

“Eiji,” Ash turned to the other. “Do you want to come with us? Since we’re going to your hometown.”

“As long as you don’t tell me to stay there,” Eiji responded.

“I…” Ash hesitated. “I can’t ask you to come to Chinatown with us though.”

“He’s right,” Max nodded. “It could be dangerous there. And Shunichi would worry his head off.”

A pout found its way to Eiji’s lips and although Ash found it oddly cute, he felt bad for the other.

“Then,” Eiji spoke up. “Will you let me wait for you?”

The question took Ash by surprise.

“Since you said you didn’t want me to yesterday.”

Suddenly feeling all eyes on him, Ash began to sweat. Indeed, he did say that the previous day but he didn’t realise that Eiji would hold it against him and bring it up in front of other people.

“I take that back,” Ash replied immediately. “So, Eiji.” He said, bowing his head to the other. “I’d like to ask you again. Please, wait for me.”

A quiet huff left Eiji. Jade eyes peeked up from his bowed position to see Eiji smiling fondly at him. “I’ll wait.”

But before Ash even straightened up properly, Shorter clapped his hands together and dispelled the atmosphere. “Alright, let’s catch the next ride to Izumo before we get cavities from watching you two.” He said as he made his way out of the room.

“Damnit, Shorter.” Max complained, following the other out. “Why did you interrupt them? It was just getting good.”

Behind Max, Griffin was chuckling behind a hand. Just as he was about to turn the corner, he poked his head around the doorframe again with a smile. “Let’s go, Aslan, Eiji.”

Looking between them, Ash and Eiji shared a smile as well before following Griffin out.

When they arrived at Izumo, Ash saw that the reconstruction of the town was already well underway. The townsmen were busy carrying wood and bricks around, clearing away debris as they rebuilt the damaged buildings.

Max and Griffin asked around for Commander Jenkins’ whereabouts while Ash and Shorter stayed nearby, keeping Eiji company as he took in the state of his hometown. Ash and Shorter shared a glance at each other, unsure what to say to Eiji when the other was certainly feeling a mix of emotions.

“Eiji?” Ash spoke up quietly from beside Eiji. “Are you alright?”

Eiji turned to Ash, his expression quite neutral but his eyes looked slightly dulled. He offered a smile, “I’m okay. I just feel a little disconnected, like I know I’m in Izumo but it doesn’t really feel like it.”

Reaching a hand out to rest at the back of Eiji’s head, Ash pulled them closer together so he could plant a quick kiss atop curly locks. “Your hometown’s going to look as good as new in no time.” Ash reassured.

When they pulled away, Eiji wore a slightly bigger smile. “Thanks.”

Just then, a voice called out from behind them. “Hey! Is that you, Eiji-kun?”

They both turned around to see a middle aged man waving in their direction while carrying a large plank of wood over his shoulder.

“Oh, Nonaka-san!” Eiji brightened up before turning back to Ash. “Is it okay if I go over there for a bit?”

“Sure,” Ash nodded. “I’ll call you over when Nii-san comes back.”

“Okay,” Eiji smiled brightly before trotting away.

In a matter of seconds after talking with the other man, many other adults came over to Eiji. They all seemed happy to see him and not long after, a small group of children were around him. Ash couldn’t help but smile at the scene as Eiji and everyone else around him were speaking cheerfully with each other despite the ruined state of their town.

“What’s this? What’s this?” Shorter asked, slinging an arm around Ash’s shoulders as he gazed out to where Eiji was. “You’re sharing him?”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Ash scowled at his best friend who pulled away with a placating gesture.

“Just kidding,” he laughed before looking back at Eiji. “But really, he’s well liked. He gets along with a lot of soldier as well.”

“Yeah.” Ash replied absently.

Watching as Eiji crouched down and patted the head of a young girl, Griffin called out to them.

“Aslan. Shorter.”

The two of them spun around to see Max pushing Griffin along on his wheelchair.

“Did you find the commander?” Shorter asked.

They both shook their heads.

“He’s apparently away for the moment.” Griffin informed. “He’ll be back by late afternoon.”

“Is that so,” Ash huffed.

“Anyway, where’s Eiji?” Max asked, craning his head around.

“Oh, he’s over there.” Ash turned to the side and jabbed a thumb at Eiji who was still conversing with the townspeople.

“He’s so popular,” Griffin chuckled.

“He has a similar charm to someone else I know,” Max commented, grinning at Griffin.

“Hmm?” Ash’s brother hummed with a tilt of his head.

Sighing fondly, Max turned to Ash and Shorter. “Why don’t the two of you see what you can do around town?”

“Eh? Why would we do that?” Ash complained.

“Okay, fine.” Max rephrased. “Even if you don’t want to help around town, if I told you that a certain someone needs a hand then would you go?” Max smirked before pointing in the direction behind Ash.

With a frown, Ash looked over his shoulder to see who Max was talking about and saw that Eiji was surrounded by half a dozen of kids. Both his arms were being pulled in opposite directions. One kid was wrapped around his leg while Eiji was struggling to stand upright.

Feeling the urge to run to him, Ash realised that he fell for Max’s taunting.

Giving Max a quick scowl, Ash swiftly turned on his heels and made his way to Eiji.

“H-Hey, Ash?” Shorter exclaimed, following his best friend.

“We’ll come get you when the commander’s back!” Max called out to them, to which Ash and Shorter waved over their heads in response.

Lightly jogging up to where Eiji was being attacked by the town kids, Ash could hear that they were fighting over who would play with him but Eiji was trying to decline because he had ‘something to do’.

“Eiji.” Ash called out to the other.

In an instant, all the kids stopped their noise. Every pair of eyes directed to Ash, causing a slight chill down his spine. He didn’t realise how the gaze of children could be so piercing.

“Ah, Ash.” Eiji greeted. “Is it time?”

Eiji looked ready to shake off the kids when Ash shook his head. “No, the commander won’t be back for a while so we have some free time.”

“Oh, really?” Eiji asked just as the kids turned back to him.

“Then you can play, right?”

“C’mon, Eiji, it’s been forever!”

“Right right,” Eiji smiled. “Let’s go to the park then.” He suggested before adding, “And grab your friends if you see them along the way, okay?”

In their excitement, the kids cheered before making their way to the park. The moment he was released, a breath of relief left him.

“They’re energetic.” Shorter commented.

“You haven’t seen them play yet,” Eiji laughed. “So what will you two do while we wait for the commander?”

Ash and Shorter looked between them before shrugging.

“Watch you and the kids, I guess.” Shorter replied.

Unexpectedly, a bright smile bloomed on Eiji’s face. “You can play with us if you’d like!”

It was such a strange thing to hear a 19 year old say that but it warmed Ash’s heart nonetheless. However, feeling as if he wouldn’t mingle well with the kids, Ash went to decline when Shorter cut in.

“No, I’ll-”

“We’d love to!”

“Hey, Shorter!” Ash complained but his best friend looped an arm over his shoulders.

“C’mon, it’ll be fun!” Shorter encouraged, looking very excited himself.

With a sigh, Ash conceded. But even though he was reluctant, seeing the smile on Eiji’s face was worth it.

Before making their way to the park though, Eiji stopped by a garage that hadn’t been damaged from the pumpkin attack. Inside was filled with sports equipment ranging from racquets and small football goals to all different types of balls.

After rummaging through everything, Eiji emerged with a heavy looking carrier filled with baseballs and bats in one hand, while the other held a first aid box and three plastic posts that rested on his shoulders.

“Alright, let’s go!” Eiji cheered before walking out.

It took Ash and Shorter a moment to double take everything Eiji was carrying before they called out to him.

“Wait wait wait!” Ash chased after Eiji.

“You’re just going to carry all that by yourself?” Shorter asked.

“Hmm?” Eiji looked at them with a raised eyebrow. “How else am I going to get it to the park?”

“No, but…” Ash tried. “Isn’t that heavy?”

Eiji looked at the items he held as if thinking about their weight before shaking his head. “No, I don’t think they are.”

“Give them here,” Shorter said, taking the bats and balls off Eiji and almost immediately reacting to the weight. “Oof…! And you say it’s not heavy?!”

“I’ll take those too,” Ash demanded, reaching out and removing the plastic posts from Eiji’s other hand, leaving Eiji with the first aid box.

After that, Eiji led the way to the park where a group of 15 or so kids were eagerly waiting.

“Eiji-san!”

“Eiji-sensei!” They called out with bright smiles and waves.

“I’ll go and say hi to them first,” Eiji said over his shoulder before taking off into a jog to meet the kids.

“Ash, is Eiji actually well built?” Shorter asked quietly as they made their way onto the park.

The question made Ash furrow his brows at his best friend before flashes of that time in the tree house resurfaced. It was true that Eiji had a much more toned body than he appeared.

“Why do you ask?” Ash asked carefully.

“This, Ash.” Shorter raised the bat and ball carrier he held. “He was planning to carry this with one hand all the way here. I can only comfortably do it with two.”

“Is it really that heavy?” Ash wondered.

“You try,” Shorter handed it over to which Ash took it with his free hand.

The weight that hung from his hand was so unexpected that Ash nearly dropped the carrier straight to the ground.

“See,” Shorter said. “I told you.”

“Yeah, that’s… not exactly light.” Ash replied, returning the carrier to Shorter.

After setting the equipment down behind Eiji, they noticed how controlled the children were. Eiji was explaining the warm up exercise and the kids watched and listened intently, not a single one was distracted.

Ash wondered just how well respected Eiji was among the kids and the townspeople.

“Did you understand that?” Eiji asked.

“Yes!” The children replied in unison.

“Good,” Eiji smiled. “Now, before you go, I’d like you to introduce you to two other teachers who’ll be joining us today.”

“T-Teacher?” Shorter whispered to Ash, barely hiding his excitement.

Turning to them with a hand out, Eiji gestured to each of them. “This is Shorter-san.”

“Hello, Shorter-san!” The kids greeted in unison.

“H-Hello!” Shorter exclaimed, both nervous and enthusiastic.

“And this is Ash-san.” Eiji smiled.

“Hello, Ash-san!”

“Y-Yeah,” Ash nodded in response, feeling a little awkward at being introduced in such a way.

“They’ll be playing with us today so make sure to be on your best behaviour.” Eiji reminded, to which the children replied an affirmative before being sent away to run a lap around the park to warm up.

“They are so cute,” Shorter cooed as he watched them run.

Eiji chuckled quietly. “Sorry in advance if they bombard you with questions. They’re a curious bunch.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed that!! This mini-arc is literally just a bit of fun, downtime before the story picks up again. I like to believe that Eiji is a strong boy, and y’know, extra Eiji love is never bad, right? :D Next chapter in two weeks!!


	19. Free Time 2/2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time for some Mini-baseball!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Helloooo~ I know I’m a week late but I blame the new season of anime starting because I’ve watched so much stuff this week that I didn’t have time to edit the chapter. I hope you enjoy this because I actually really enjoyed writing it :D

When they returned from their warm up, Eiji instructed them to pair up before practicing their bat and ball handling. There was an odd number of them so Eiji told one group to work in a three for the time being. In the meantime, Eiji explained the rule to something called Mini-baseball. Since they often didn’t have enough kids, or the numbers were inconsistent, Eiji altered some of the rules to baseball so that all they needed was an even number of players to play. The way Eiji explained it was simple and easy to follow. Even though Ash and Shorter only had limited knowledge of baseball, they still managed to understand what they had to do.

Once that was done, Eiji told Ash and Shorter to practice a bit while he paired up with one of the three so that everyone got an equal amount of time to prepare.

The games commenced before long and Ash and Shorter found themselves playing for the opposite team to Eiji. At first, Ash was worried that he wouldn’t get along with the kids since he was more used to people his age like his friend back at the Fortress, or people much older like the soldiers in platoon. But surprisingly, the children seemed to have taken a liking to him and Shorter, and were mingling quite well.

The sun was beating hard on them but the competition was strong. The coordination of the kids was incredibly good, even to the point of directing Ash and Shorter. It had been a long time since Ash had had this kind of fun.

With a rather strong swing, one boy hit the ball so far into the park that everyone on base and himself made it all the way around and back home.

“Nice work, Kouta!” Shorter cheered as he ruffled the boy’s hair.

Ash couldn’t help but smile at the interaction.

“We’re gonna win this!” Kouta pumped his fist into the air and everyone on their team did the same.

“Don’t get too full of yourself, Kouta!” A boy on Eiji’s team yelled back.

The rivalry was enjoyable and sweet. Although the boys were throwing harsh words at each other, the look in their eyes and the smiles on their faces showed that there was no true malice behind what they were saying.

Once again, Ash found himself smiling and this time, when he looked up, his gaze met Eiji’s. Even through the heat, Eiji’s eyes were still big and bright. His hair looked a little messier than usual with all the exercise and the sweat on his skin shined under the sunlight.

Ash felt genuinely really happy.

The teams switched from batting to fielding a few times. The score was roughly even and the competition was getting more heated in terms of the game and literally. The sun hadn’t once disappeared behind a cloud. Not only was Ash feeling quite tired and sluggish from the heat, but he was also pretty sure he was sunburnt.

However, when Ash’s team was at-bat again, an accident occurred. One of Ash’s teammates accidentally hit the ball at a strange angle and it flew squarely into the forehead of a young girl who was fielding around the bases. She crashed to the ground with a cry.

“Aiko!”

Eiji instantly blew the whistle for a time out before rushing over to her, crouching down as she did her best to hold in her tears.

“Aiko, where did it hit you?” He asked. Although he sounded panicked and urgent, the way he pried her hands away from her face was gentle.

The boy on Ash’s team also ran to the girl’s side. “Aiko!” He knelt down beside her. “I’m so sorry. Are you okay?”

“Eiji-san…” She peeked out from between her fingers.

“I’m here,” Eiji reassured with a smile. “Can you stand?”

She nodded and stood up, although a little wobbly on her feet.

“Let me take a look at your injury,” Eiji said softly, encouraging her to remove her hands that were covering her forehead.

She did so quite reluctantly, revealing an angry red mark which was already beginning to swell.

“We need to get an icepack on that,” Eiji said, making a move to stand. “And then you have to sit out, okay, Aiko?”

“But then the teams will be uneven!” One child spoke up.

“Yes but…” Eiji started. “That can’t be helped.”

“I don’t mind sitting out with her,” Ash volunteered. He wanted a break anyway.

“Ash, you don’t have to…” But Eiji trailed off as he gave Ash a critical look.

“What?” Ash wondered why Eiji was looking at him so funny when Shorter looked his way too.

“Pahahaha! Ash!” Shorter laughed. “You’re red! Oh my god, you’ve turned into a tomato! Ahahaha!”

Ash could feel his cheeks heat up in embarrassment. It probably didn’t help his already red face. He reached a hand up cautiously to his face. One touch, however, made him hiss in pain. His skin was definitely burnt, so much that even the tiniest bit of contact sparked discomfort. Yeah, Ash definitely needed to take a break.

“Aiko,” Eiji ignored Shorter’s laughing and turned to the little girl. “Go and sit under a tree with Ash-sensei. He’ll take care of you, alright?”

“O-Okay,” Aiko nodded before walking to Ash’s side.

“I left the first aid kit with the spare bats and ball in the carrier,” Eiji instructed. “There should be an ice pack in there and maybe some cream for your sunburn.”

Nodding in understanding, Ash led the little girl to the shade. The moment they stepped into the shadows, he sighed at the coolness that hit his skin. He felt refreshed already.

Sitting down by the trunk of the tree, Ash dug around in the first aid box down to find an ice pack. When he pulled it out, he noticed that Aiko was still standing in front of him, awkwardly twisting the front hem of her top.

“What’s wrong?” Ash asked softly. “Come and sit down.” He said, patting the space next to him.

Obediently, she took a seat next to Ash.

Carefully peeling the sticker off the ice pack, Ash turned to Aiko. “Look at me,” he said.

“Eh?”

The little girl turned just as Ash reached out to brush the hair away from her forehead. She froze under his touch but Ash didn’t think much about it as he was focused on sticking the ice pack onto her injury. Once it was in place, he traced a hand carefully over it, applying it with a bit of pressure to make sure that it wouldn’t fall off.

After pulling away, however, Ash noticed how Aiko’s cheeks were a bit red and her eyes were downcast. Worried that she was feeling unwell, Ash gently pressed the back of his fingers to the girl’s red cheeks.

“Do you have a fever?” Ash wondered. “Or is it just sunburn?”

Flinching away at the touch, Aiko cupped both her cheeks with her hands. Ash instantly withdrew his hands and held them in a placating gesture. He wasn’t sure what he did to make the girl react so strongly but her eyes were wide and shocked.

“S-Sorry,” Ash apologised. “I touched you too casually.”

That seemed to have eased some of her tension. “N-No, I’m sorry too.”

Ash didn’t know why she was apologising but he brushed it off. Rummaging through the first aid kit again, he pulled out a small bottle of cream that contained aloe vera. Squirting a generous amount into his hands, Ash also noticed that he was burnt all along his arms as well. A sigh left him as he wondered whether that small amount was going to be enough.

Even though Ash was busy applying the cream onto his face, hissing at the touch and then the cooling sensation, Ash was aware that Aiko was watching his every move. He would have expected her to watch her friends continue playing but no, her eyes were fixed onto Ash. It made him wonder whether she was still overly conscious about him.

Jade eyes glanced over at her. The moment their gazes met, she turned away. It was such an innocent reaction, Ash had to make an effort not to laugh.

“If you have something to say, you can say it.” Ash said, as he rubbed some cream around the back of his neck.

Aiko turned to face him again. Ash could feel her eyes looking him up and down and to say the least, it made him feel uncomfortable even though she was just a little girl.

“Can I ask you a question, Sensei?” She asked, her calling him Sensei made Ash cringe slightly.

“You… don’t have to call me Sensei.” Ash said instead.

“O-Oh,” Aiko looked away. “Then… A-Ash-san, can I ask you a question?”

“Sure,” Ash replied, slowly rubbing cream into his arms while wondering what she wanted to ask.

“Where are you from?” She asked simply.

Ash wasn’t expecting such a simple question but he shrugged it off and answered her. “Do you know a place called Cape Cod in the southwest?”

Aiko shook her head.

A small huff of a laugh left him. “I didn’t think so. It’s a small town, mostly a military area.”

Nodding, she eagerly waited for more.

“I used to live there with my brother before I moved to the Fortress.”

“You’ve been to the Fortress of York?!” She asked excitedly.

Her enthusiasm made Ash smile. “Yeah. I grew up there.”

“Is it really different from here?”

“It is,” Ash nodded, stretching out his arms after applying the cream. “Can you imagine building so high that they reach the sky? Or so many cars that the roads are full and you can’t move?”

“Wow, those really exist?” Aiko’s eyes were glistening as she listened to Ash.

He couldn’t help but reach out and pat her on the head. “Yeah, maybe one day when you’re old enough, you can go there.”

Looking at Ash with her young eyes, she hesitated on something. “Will you… Will you take me there?”

“I’m…” Ash didn’t want to be cruel but neither did he want to make any unnecessary promises. “I’m not sure about that.”

“Oh…” Aiko’s shoulders visibly slumped.

They shared a moment of silence, Ash feeling guilty but didn’t know what to say.

“Is it because you have a girlfriend?” Aiko suddenly spoke up.

Ash nearly choked. “What?”

“That’s why you can’t take me to the Fortress because your girlfriend’s there.” She said but Ash couldn’t follow her at all.

“Wait, I never said I had a girlfriend.” Ash tried to reason with her but she seemed very convinced over her assumption.

“What’s it like to be in love?” She turned to Ash in all seriousness.

Really, he couldn’t follow this girl at all! She was momentarily depressed when Ash said he couldn’t take her to the Fortress of York but the moment the topic turned to love, she was energised and very interested again. But on the topic of love… Ash thought of someone and his eyes couldn’t help but look up into the field where they were still playing.

“What’s it like…?” Ash repeated her question, his eyes never straying from a certain someone who had blown the whistle and began to round everyone up. “It’s quite nice.”

“Ohh,” Aiko made an interested sound.

“When I’m with them, it calms me. When I’m away from them, it makes me want to see them. And I just… always want to make them happy.”

Ash was speaking absently so he missed the way Aiko was looking between him and the other person. “Ash-san, why are you looking at Eiji-sensei?”

“Wh-What?!” Ash snapped back to the little girl beside him.

“Do you like sensei too?” She asked enthusiastically. “You know, Hana-chan likes him too. She said that when she’s older, she’s going to be Eiji-sensei’s wife!” She punched the air so hard that she threw herself onto her feet.

“I-Is that right,” Ash replied awkwardly.

“But I…” Aiko said, turning back to Ash while she fiddled with the hem of her shirt again. “I-”

But before she said what she wanted to, Eiji called for them.

“Ash! Aiko! It’s time to wrap up. You can come back now!”

Ash raised a hand to indicate that they had heard before making his way to stand.

“Let’s go, Aiko-chan.” Ash said, after packing the first aid box away. “And what were you saying before?”

Hurrying a few steps in front of Ash, Aiko stood in his way before dramatically pointing at him.

“Like how Hana-chan’s going to be Eiji-sensei’s wife, I’m going to be your wife, Ash-san! I’m going to steal you from your girlfriend so tell her to watch out!”

Ash didn’t even have a chance to process what she said, let alone respond to it, before she ran off. She sped her way back to her group of friends, leaving Ash dazed and confused.

Feeling the strong gazes of a lot of the female children, Ash made extra effort to avoid their line of sight. It wasn’t until they were all dismissed and out of sight that Ash felt like he could breathe again.

On their way back to the garage with the equipment, Shorter asked, “So what happened to you?”

“Apart from being sunburnt, what do you mean?” Ash responded monotonously.

“This,” Shorter waved in front of him. “You’ve been like a zombie after taking a break. Surely, a break should have helped.”

Ash just sighed at his best friend.

“Oh, I heard that Ash and Aiko-chan had a real heart to heart conversation,” Eiji smirked.

“She told you?!” Ash exclaimed.

“What, what?” Shorter was very interested. “Told you what?”

“I heard Ash stole a little lady’s heart,” Eiji grinned even wider.

“Dude, did she confess?!” Shorter was way too excited about this gossip.

“Uhh, well…”

“Oh my god, she did!” Shorter almost squealed. “Nice work scoring one.” He laughed before he paused. “But did you tell her that you were already taken?”

“Apparently he said that he has a girlfriend waiting for him at the Fortress,” Eiji supplied, feigning hurt.

“Ash, that’s not cool.” Shorter turned to his best friend with a disappointed look.

“Enough already!” Ash complained. “You two are unbelievable.”

That reaction made Eiji and Shorter burst into laughter. They were both hunched over, arms wrapped around their stomachs as they snickered at varying degrees. Ash huffed at them in annoyance, feeling both embarrassed and betrayed.

“You know, it’s not just me.” Ash corrected. “One of the kids likes you too, Eiji.”

“Eh?” Eiji wiped a tear from the corner of his eyes. “Which one?”

“Which…?” Ash paused. “What do you mean ‘which one’?!”

Eiji curled a finger around his chin in thought. “I mean, which one of the kids do you mean? I’m aware of Rika-chan, Haru-chan and Hana-chan.”

Ash felt like his jaw just fell to the ground. “What?”

But Eiji didn’t seem bothered. “They’re at an age where they start thinking about it. Obviously not to the extent like teenagers but y’know, they’re quite vocal about it so I overhear a lot of things. Or they just tell me upfront which is always a bit more difficult.”

“I didn’t know you were a lady killer, Eiji.” Shorter laughed, slinging an arm around Eiji.

Ash didn’t know how to respond. Simply pinching the bridge of his nose, he sighed as Eiji and Shorter continued to laugh.

“What do you say to reject them?” Shorter asked curiously.

Eiji hummed in thought. “Usually that I have my hands full with work and looking after my family,” he paused before a smirk appeared on his face. “But maybe I should start saying that I’m waiting for someone to come back from military duties.”

“Oh, I like that.” Shorter praised.

Scowling, Ash looked up to see Eiji and Shorter grinning at him.

“You two are the worst!” Ash exclaimed, diving at them and wrestling them each into a headlock.

Whoever said that Eiji and Griffin made a scary combo, Ash would argue that Eiji and Shorter were worse.

Whilst doing some odd jobs around the town centre, Max eventually came and found them.

“Eiji, Shorter and…” Max trailed off as he neared the three of them, his eyes looking carefully at Ash.

Ash braced himself for another round of being laughed at.

“Pahahaha! Is that you, Ash?!”

“Who else would it be, old man?!” Ash huffed.

“Oh my god, we have to go see Griff.” Max said, ushering Ash forward despite his protests.

When they met up with his brother, Ash didn’t have the courage to look at the other. If Griffin ended up laughing at him as well, he wouldn’t know what to do. But after a few beats of silence and there wasn’t even a huff of a laugh from his brother, Ash dared to look up to see that Griffin only wore his usual soft smile.

“Did you have fun?” He asked softly, making Ash feel relief wash over him.

“Nii-san…!” Ash sulked to his brother, feeling as if he regressed a few years as he went and cuddled Griffin.

“Damn, I was hoping Griff would laugh.” Max clicked his tongue.

“Actually, I don’t think I’ve ever seen squad leader properly laugh.” Shorter commented.

Even though the two of them had their mouths covered, they weren’t being very quiet or subtle about what they were saying. Though, Griffin didn’t seem to mind. Ignoring them, he turned to his younger brother with care. He swept a gentle hand over his hair, brushing it aside so that he could see the other’s face before carefully cupping his palm against Ash’s cheek.

“Does it hurt?”

Ash leant into his brother’s touch, feeling the slight sting upon contact. “A little. But I’ve already put cream on it.”

“I see,” Griffin nodded. “Be careful next time, okay?”

“I will.”

“And this is why they say these two have a brother complex,” Ash overheard Shorter say to Eiji while jabbing a thumb in his and his brother’s direction.

“Damn you, Shorter!”

Pulling away from his brother, Ash had just leapt onto his best friend when the commander joined them.

“Well, aren’t you lively today.” Commander Jenkins said with a smile.

“Commander,” they greeted in unison. The banter between them instantly vanished.

“So, what is it that you came all the way here to tell me?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhh, that was fun :D I hope you enjoyed it!! I just like the idea that Ash is bad with children. And it always makes me happy to write the dorky side of everyone. Gosh, that was some fun cuteness, and poor Ash for getting bullied XD Anyway, next chapter, we’ll be back to serious stuff… See you then!!


	20. Chinatown 1/3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ash arrives at Chinatown.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello and welcome back!! As mentioned before, this is the start to the next serious arc so you can expect some action and plot development. I struggled to find a good place to cut this chapter so apologies if it feels a little clunky at times. Please enjoy!!

After relaying what happened the last time they were at Izumo and the possible approaches to the matter discussed by them, the commander didn’t seem to have any complaints about sending Ash and Shorter to Chinatown. Under the order of a temporary ’scouting’ mission, Ash was given permission to settle his dispute with Arthur with the intention of obtaining information from him. Shorter was allowed to return to Chinatown to confirm the safety of his friends and family. And both of them were to return to the Fortress of York together once their independent objectives were met. In addition, Skipper would be joining them for an actual scouting mission which wasn’t unexpected.

Unless pumpkin activity was indeed present in Chinatown, the commander ordered for everyone to keep the matter private to avoid spreading baseless anxiety among the soldiers. Since there hadn’t been any reports, it only made sense. And with that, they were dismissed.

“I will personally inform Skipper and have a vehicle arranged for you.” Commander Jenkins said as he walked away.

“Thank you, sir!” Ash and Shorter saluted politely.

They watched the retreating back of their commander before Max turned to them with a small smile. “So, looks like you two will be on your way by tonight.”

“Shorter, since it’s your hometown, I hope you won’t mind me asking that you look after Aslan for me,” Griffin smiled softly.

“You can count on me, squad leader.” Shorter replied, puffing out his chest.

“Nii-san, you worry too much.” Ash huffed.

“As long as you come back to me then I won’t complain,” Griffin shrugged.

“You know I’ll come back,” Ash sighed before jade eyes looked over to Eiji. “I’ll definitely come back.”

The smile on Griffin’s face grew a bit wider. “I’ll hold you to that.”

There weren’t much preparations that needed to be made. Chinatown was a neutral zone so no weapons were allowed. For someone who had been familiar with a gun for more than half his life to suddenly put it down, it was going to be a strange feeling. And what made it worse was that he was entering foreign territory, equipped with nothing, not even a knife, to face off against a military school classmate who shared several years together. Even though they had issues between them, it wasn’t to the extent that Arthur would defect onto the enemy’s side.

A sigh left Ash as he couldn’t understand the other’s intention.

“Ash?”

A gentle hand was placed over his as Eiji’s voice pulled Ash out of his thoughts. Bathing in the sunset in front of him while sitting at the back of an old truck, Ash threaded their fingers together before turning to his side to regard the other. With half his features highlighted by a warm orange glow, Eiji looked even softer than usual. Not even thinking, he leant forward and kissed the other. The press of their lips was short and sweet and they pulled away with a smile on their faces.

Ash looked over Eiji’s features again, feeling an attraction to him like never before. Wrapping his arms around the other’s middle, he pulled their bodies close together before burying his head in the crook of Eiji’s neck.

“I love you, Eiji.”

Hugging back, Eiji stayed silent for a little while before the slightest vibrations were felt in the other’s shoulders.

“Eiji?” Ash wasn’t sure what it was about so he went to pull away but Eiji didn’t let him.

It didn’t take long before Ash realised that the trembling was actually from Eiji withholding his laughter.

Ash felt himself flush. “You…!”

“I didn’t know you were a romantic,” Eiji snorted.

Ash let out a long sigh, feeling horribly embarrassed and it didn’t help that Eiji wasn’t letting him go. “That’s the last time I’m ever being honest in front of you.” Ash sulked.

Hearing that, Eiji pulled away feigning hurt. “Eh, why?”

“You know why!” Ash turned away with a pout.

“Don’t be like that,” Eiji laughed, reaching out and taking Ash’s cheeks into his hands. Closing the distance between them, it was Eiji who returned the kiss. Just as short and sweet as the other, he pulled away with a sly smile before adding, “I love you too.”

Feeling unsatisfied, Ash caught the back of Eiji’s head with one hand before forcing their lips back together again. A surprised sound left Eiji and Ash couldn’t help but feel a little smug at getting the upper hand.

Compared to the sweet fluttering kisses they shared up until that point, this one was the first rough and messy exchange. Ash pried the other’s lips apart, his tongue worming in and invading the inside of Eiji’s mouth. Although Eiji struggled a little at first, he quickly eased into the kiss. Even though they weren’t exactly experienced, they lost themselves in the heat of the moment.

Finally pulling away to breathe, Ash wiped his bottom lip with the back of his hand. He could feel that it was slightly swollen from kissing and he figured that Eiji wasn’t much different. Gazing up, he saw that the other had a hand covering the lower half of his face, his eyes slightly unfocused while his cheeks were flaring. The embarrassment was cute and it was tempting Ash.

Dropping his head onto Eiji’s shoulder Ash tried his best to douse the spark before they got too carried away. Him, Shorter and Skipper were due to leave for Chinatown soon anyway so he had to restrain himself.

“You’ll wait for me, right, Eiji?” Ash asked quietly.

“I thought that was obvious.” Eiji replied, lightly leaning his head on Ash.

A huff of a laugh left Ash. “Obvious, huh.” He couldn’t help but repeat, feeling happiness bloom in his chest. “So, you’ll be here when I come back?”

“I will,” Eiji promised, planting a kiss atop blond hair. “Do you know when you’ll be back?”

“It’s hard to say,” Ash admitted. It really depended on how Arthur planned to do things. And since he was known to play dirty and with how much hatred he seemed to hold for Ash, it really wasn’t certain how long it would take to settle the issue.

“Well, it doesn’t matter.” Eiji hummed. “No matter how long it takes, I’ll be waiting for you.”

Feeling like he might cry, Ash buried his face into Eiji’s neck. “Thank you.”

They shared a quiet moment before Eiji looked up. “Ah, I see Shorter.”

Lifting his head as well, Ash followed Eiji’s line of sight before noticing his purple mohawked friend waving at them from a distance. Although reluctant, Ash hopped off the back of the truck. He turned around to offer a hand to help Eiji down too. Just as he landed, Ash pulled him into his arms again.

“I’ll be going then,” Ash said, holding Eiji tightly in his arms.

“Have a safe trip,” Eiji replied, hugging him back just as tightly.

They were about to pull away before Ash ducked down and kissed the side of Eiji’s neck. The other was surprised by the action but Ash didn’t care as he sucked hard on the skin. Eiji shivered at the sensation and Ash couldn’t help the smirk that appeared on his face as he pulled away. Licking his lips at the dark reddish purple mark left on Eiji, Ash felt a swell in his chest.

Quickly covering his neck with a hand, Eiji looked ready to complain but he didn’t say anything. A blush was back on his face and Ash went to peck both his cheeks before leaving a kiss on the other’s lips.

“I’ll see you when I get back then,” Ash waved as he walked away from Eiji.

“Come back safely!” Eiji called back.

But just as he walked up to Shorter, his best friend glared at him. “What did you do?”

Ash glanced over before shrugging. “What are you talking about?”

“You have a smug look on your face,” Shorter pointed out.

Turning away from Shorter, Ash denied it. “You’re imagining things.”

“Sure, I am.” Shorter answered, obviously not convinced.

Sitting in the back seat of the car with Shorter driving and Skipper in the front, Ash found himself absently looking out the window as the scenery breezed by. It would have been a peaceful ride if Shorter wasn’t singing at the top of his lungs and ruining nearly every song that Ash knew but he didn’t have the heart to tell his best friend to stop when he knew Shorter was singing to take his mind off his anxiety. He hadn’t been home since he joined the Resistance over two years ago, and with the assumption that there were pumpkins in the city, Ash couldn’t blame the other for being worried. It was Ash’s first time to Chinatown though, but he couldn’t find it in himself to be excited when his thoughts were still preoccupied with predicting Arthur’s intentions.

He wasn’t sure when he dozed off but the next time he woke up was after they entered the city. Stirred awake by the jostle caused by going over a speed bump, jade eyes blinked awake to see that they were passing by a food district. The restaurants were stereotypically Chinese styled and the workers all wore traditional clothing. However, what caught Ash’s eye the most was the seemingly multicultural population. There were a lot more people not of the typical Chinese look than he expected.

But before he thought more about it, Ash’s stomach rumbled in hunger as they drove past waiters coming out with plates of steaming food.

“You awake, Ash?” Shorter asked as he looked up into the rear view mirror.

“Yeah,” Ash replied, a timely yawn hitting him.

“We’re almost there,” Shorter informed. “Are you hungry?”

“You’re asking me that as we’re driving through the food district?” Ash responded with a raised eyebrow.

“Just making sure,” Shorter laughed.

It really didn’t take long before Shorter turned down a road full of garages. A little further down, he got out of the car and pulled out his keys before unlocking the shutters and driving inside.

Ash got out once they were parked. Giving his limbs a good stretch, Ash didn’t get much chance to look around the garage when Shorter spoke up.

“Ash, would you mind waking Skip up?”

“Oh, sure.” Ash nodded, moving to the front of the car to see that Skipper was sound asleep. “Hey, Skip.” Ash tried, lightly shaking the other’s small shoulder. “Skipper.”

The young boy stirred awake with a groan. Big brown eyes blinked open before seeing Ash and his face brightened instantly. “Ash!”

“Good morning, sleepy head.” Ash smiled at Skipper, stepping aside to allow the other to hop out of the car.

Just then, Shorter gestured at them. “Let’s go, I’m going to lock up.”

Making their way indoors, Ash stopped as he noticed how they were outside a kitchen. A wave of heat hit him squarely in the face, followed by a strong scent of food. Sounds of a roaring flame could be heard, mixed with the voices of chefs calling out to each other on one side, and lively chatter of customers on the other side.

With a pat on the shoulder, Shorter walked past with a smile. “What? Haven’t been around the back of a restaurant before?”

If Ash were honest then no, he hadn’t been before so this was his first time seeing the behind the scenes.

Gesturing them to follow, Shorter poked his head into the service counter and greeted the chefs inside the kitchen.

“Yo, I’m back.” Shorter waved casually.

“Shorter?!” The chefs exclaimed, some even coming up to the counter to say hello.

“Long time no see!”

“How have you been?”

“Not too bad,” Shorter laughed. “I see you’re as hardworking as ever. Thanks for helping my sis out.”

“No worries, Shorter!” The chefs laughed before a booming voice came from the back of the kitchen.

“Hardworking chefs wouldn’t be distracted by a passing monkey!”

But Shorter wasn’t going to let that comment slide. “Who are you calling monkey, old man?!”

“Hey, what’s all the shouting about back here?” A calm female voice asked from around the corner before a short black haired lady appeared. Even though she wore a stoic expression, the way her eyebrows raised and eyes widened a fraction, Ash could tell that she was surprised. “Shorter,” she greeted before stepping up to him.

“Sis!” Shorter smiled brightly before hugging his sister.

“You’re back early,” she said as she returned the hug.

“Sorry for coming back at dinnertime,” Shorter apologised. “You must be busy.”

His sister just shook her head. “It’s the norm.” Then she noticed the people with Shorter.

“Ah,” Shorter let go of his sister and turned to the side. “This is Ash and Skipper, we’re friends from the same platoon.”

“Pleasure to meet you!” Ash and Skipper said in unison, the latter sounding much more enthusiastic.

“I’m Nadia Wong,” Shorter’s sister introduced with a hand out. “I’m Shorter’s elder sister and manager of this restaurant, Chang Dai.”

After taking turns to shake hands with her, she directed them to the room upstairs.

“Make yourselves at home,” she said. “I’ll bring some food up when it’s less busy.”

“Take your time, sis.” Shorter called after her as she went back to work.

But as if to argue against that, Ash’s stomach rumbled unhappily. Shorter gave him a questioning look and Ash could only apologise.

“I’ll see if the chefs can whip something up for us,” Shorter reassured before disappearing downstairs.

That evening was filled with lively chatter, mainly of Shorter telling his sister what he had been through while being away from home. Nadia wasn’t a person of many words but the way she listened patiently and intently at her brother while offering him small smiles and nods as he talked, it warmed Ash’s heart.

Drifting in and out of sleep all night, Ash woke up in the morning feeling as if he hadn’t rested at all. He just couldn’t shake the strange feeling that something wasn’t right. Unable to put his finger on it, Ash spent a few hours before the others woke up to watch the streets from the window but nothing was out of the ordinary. Even after Skipper went to do some independent scouting and Ash followed Shorter to meet his friends, there wasn’t anything suspicious as they walked through the streets. Yet, the uncomfortable inkling sensation remained at the back of his neck.

By evening, Ash still couldn’t shake the feeling.

“Ash? Hey, Ash!”

Snapping out of his daze, Ash looked up to see Shorter looking worriedly at him.

“What’s the matter with you?” He huffed, when he seemed to have gotten Ash’s attention. “You’ve barely moved your chopsticks.”

“Oh, s-sorry.” Ash apologised, looking down at his untouched food.

“Anyway, Sing,” Shorter turned back to the friend they were eating dinner with. “Why did you stay in Chinatown? I thought for sure you’d go to the Fortress for military school.”

“I wanted to! I still do,” the young man replied, running a hand through his short hair. “But Lao didn’t let me.”

“That guy…” Shorter sighed. “He has to give you some freedom. How old are you now? 14?”

Sing nodded.

A sigh left Shorter again. “I can talk to him if you want me to,” he offered.

“You would?” Sing brightened up. “He might actually listen to you.”

“There’s no guarantee that he’d actually let you go since he’s unbearably overprotective of you but I can put in a word or two for you.” Shorter shrugged.

“You’re the best, Shorter.” Sing smiled.

“Aww, you’re so precious.” Shorter slung an arm around Sing’s shoulders before ruffling his hair. “You’ll always be my favourite kid.”

“Stop that…!” Sing struggled with a smile.

But before their laughter died down, there was a shout, shortly followed by a crash from the other side of the restaurant. All three of them turned in the direction of the commotion and saw that two groups of people were on their feet with a toppled over table between them.

“What the hell is wrong with you?!” One of them shouted.

“Shut up!” The other warned, angrily kicking the fallen table. “You insulted the Sir!”

“The who?!”

But no further words were exchanged before the first fist was thrown. The two parties began to fight among themselves. Many of the customers around them fled their tables as the men wrestled each other, knocking over tables and chairs on the way.

Both Ash and Shorter were just about to act when Sing held out an arm to block them.

“Sing?!” Shorter hissed under his breath.

“Don’t get involved.” Sing warned. “This is normal.”

Ash and Shorter both sat back down but they turned to Sing with seriousness.

“What do you mean ‘this is normal’?” Ash asked in a hushed voice while the brawl continued in the background.

“Fights like these have been-”

But before they heard what Sing wanted to say, a loud gunshot was heard from the far end of the restaurant. Immediately, everyone turned to the man who held a shotgun over his head. He had fired a shot into the ceiling to silence everyone. Ash and Shorter were already on high alert the moment the fight broke out but after hearing that shot, they were even more on guard.

“Quit bothering my customers!” The man roared. “Take your fight outside or I blow a hole in your head!”

The troublemakers all shared a scowl before turning to leave the restaurant. The tension didn’t completely dissipate even after they left but the waiters and waitresses were doing their best to reassure the customers.

Ash and Shorter, on the other hand, were shocked beyond belief.

“Sing, what the hell was that?!” Shorter hissed.

“Why does he have a gun?!” Ash demanded.

Sing held up a placating gesture, trying to calm the two soldiers as they were incredibly agitated. “The Lees passed a new law last year. Owners of restaurants and pubs are allowed to have guns.”

“You’re kidding,” Shorter sat back in disbelief.

“Guns have always been illegal here, right?” Ash asked. “Why last year?”

“It’s because of incidences like these,” Sing explained. “Since last year, more and more fights have occurred across the city. It got to a point where a whole food district was trashed in a few days.”

“A sudden increase in violence since last year?” Ash muttered. “Why didn’t we hear about this? Especially the gun law.” Ash turned to Shorter who only shook his head.

“The Lees have everything pretty much under control now though-”

“You call this under control?” Shorter interrupted.

“W-Well, that’s what they say…” Sing replied hesitantly.

Ash and Shorter shared a look, both feeling complicated about the situation.

Since then, Ash witnessed several fights. Some were during broad daylight while others were in the backstreets during the night. They all seemed to be quite pointless, triggered by the smallest things and ending with no clear victor. It was incredibly strange but since Ash was no more than a bystander, he couldn’t be certain about the details. At least Ash recognised the strange feeling he had up until then as tension in the air.

However, there was more to it that Ash couldn’t quite explain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhh, I’m excited, tension’s building already ;D I hope you enjoyed that!! I pray that the pacing didn’t feel too awkward, I just wanted to get the setting laid out and ready for everything else to come. Next chapter to come in two weeks as always :D See you then!!

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!! Update to come in 2 weeks


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